The current health pandemic has greatly affected many, both in the community and around the world. While self-isolation is the most responsible practice, it has its drawbacks: humans are naturally very social, so social distancing can have a negative impact on their mental health. Given the current circumstances, I decided to modify the March monthly blog--asking older teens in the community for their self-quarantine experience, opinions, and advice. This month, I asked fellow CB Cares Volunteers the same questions. Here are their responses.
Q: How has COVID-19 personally affected you? Before the pandemic, I had so many things to balance in my schedule between schoolwork and various extracurricular, along with still finding time to spend with my friends and family. It was strange at first with how rapidly all of that was cancelled and my schedule was left completely empty, but then as I adjusted it was nice to be able to have time to relax. I’ve been able to try new hobbies such as sewing and complete all my school work in a timely manner. -Bella A. COVID-19 has affected my life a lot in these past few weeks, we now have off from school for the rest of the year and we can't leave our homes. I can't see my friends and and i just recently found out some unfortunate news that someone i know has it. -Reese H. The end of this school year was supposed to be packed with activities, including the freshman trip to DC, the band trip to Dorney Park, band concerts, track meets, and jazz festivals. Now that school has been canceled, I am no longer able to take part in any of those things. I don’t know if my summer art classes in North Carolina will still take place. I am not able to see all my friends and it’s driving me crazy. However, I am spending this time drawing and spending quality family time, so I am trying to look on the bright side. -Madelyn E. Q: Is there any advice that you have for others in the same circumstances? My advice for everyone would be to make a schedule. It doesn’t have to be a strict hour-by-hour plan for everyday, but I find it helpful and comforting to have some routine. It would be so easy to waste time during self-isolation, so I think having routine helps ensure you fill your time doing productive things. -Bella A. My advice for anyone in the same circumstances is to just try and stay calm and be sure to wash your hands, stay inside, and try and make the best of this situation. -Reese H. Please do not go outside except to exercise or get food. This pandemic is killing people, and it is important that we follow the social distancing guidelines. Also, look on the bright side. It will get better and everything will be back to normal in a few months. Use this time to do something you are passionate about, like music, art, photography, or exercise. -Madelyn E. Q: What is your opinion on distance learning? Does it have any limitations? Personally, I enjoy distance learning. The meetings with classes aren’t too long, but still long enough to get work done, and when I work on my own, I can go at my own pace. It’s a very flexible program which is needed in a time such as this, one none of us have ever experienced before. However, I can see how distance learning could pose issues for some students. Because much responsibility is put on the students to attend classes and do their work asynchronously, it could be easy to blow off many assignments and videos calls. Also, I recognize that for some it’s hard to focus and complete school work while in their homes. With that said, I would still say that, overall, distance learning is working well for most. -Bella A. I think distance learning is alright, in most cases it's easier to do school from home, but sometimes i can get distracted and it takes me awhile to finish my work. -Reese H. It isn’t bad. It is definitely easier than normal school, considering we have two classes a day and each class is once a week. The teachers give manageable workloads and I feel much less stressed than I would in normal school. -Madelyn E. Q: What has this experience made you appreciate? This experience has made me appreciate the daily interactions I have with others. I believe everyone would agree with me when I say that I miss seeing my friends, but I also miss the people I see everyday who I wouldn’t necessarily consider a close friend. 5. After self-isolation finishes, what changes will you make to your daily routine? As of lately, I have been exercising a lot more than I normally do. I have started every day off with a run, and while it’s not a long run, it feels good to begin my with physical activity. It has also forced me to wake up earlier, causing me to not waste much of my day sleeping in. As I continue on even after self-isolation ends, I would like to keep up the extra fitness and productivity in my life. -Bella A. This has made me appreciate being able to go outside and being able to go places and do all of the everyday things i would normally do. Now that we can't go most places or even to school and most of the world is on "lock down" it has made me realize how lucky we were to be able to do those things. -Reese H. It made me appreciate the time I am spending with my family. We walk the dog and have been watching a lot of movies together. I also am appreciating the down time away from school. -Madelyn E. Q: After self-isolation finishes, what changes will you make to your daily routine? After self isolation is finished, i am definitely going to try and go out more and hang out with my friends as much as i can. I think everyone is going to make a lot of changes and appreciate being able to go outside. -Reese H. I am definitely going to see my friends more, since we will have not seen each other for 4 months. I am going to try to be more active and spend less time on my phone. -Madelyn E.
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