The Quarantine Crazies

You would think that social distancing would bring a stress free environment, but it seems to have caused the opposite for a lot of people.

I have experienced a lot of stress during this quarantine, especially revolving around school. I, like many other students, have had a difficult time adjusting to e-learning and separating my home life from my school/work life. School already stresses me out as is, but not having a strict schedule has been really hard on me mentally. It is also quite frustrating trying to keep track of all of the assignments due when every teacher uploads at different times and gives out different due dates. I have seen a lot of other students complain about this as well, and as I am aware that it is none of the teachers’ faults, I just wish the whole system was a bit more put together, scheduled and organized. 

Along with school, I have also stressed about how long this virus will affect everyone and everything. I constantly worry that this pandemic will carry on through my senior year and I’ll miss out on things that every high school student looks forward to, such as my last Homecoming game/dance, prom, graduation, etc. It’s also quite sad thinking about the fact that I might not even get to see my friends and family for awhile if this horrible virus continues.

I’ve found that things are a little easier to handle when I take a moment to breathe and assure myself that everything will work its way out, and that there is no reason to worry about the things in my life that I can’t control. But for the things I can control, such as schoolwork and communicating with friends, I’ve figured out a few things to help. I’ve created a ‘school schedule’ for the weekdays and I try to follow it as best as I can, but still allow myself to take small breaks so I don’t completely lose my sanity. I write down everything I need to get done that week in my school planner and cross things off as I do them. I also keep a personal planner where I write out everything I would like to accomplish that day (not always work specific), along with writing out how I’m feeling at the time. I have also found that assigning a work space and a resting space at home has been vital for getting things accomplished. When I do my schoolwork, I try to sit somewhere I’m not used to sitting, such as the dining room table, couch or even my bedroom floor. I’ve found this to be really helpful because I’m more likely to get work done when I’m not sitting in bed with my laptop. When it comes to communicating with friends and family, I try to call, video chat or text loved ones as often as I can.

Stress may be inevitable at this time, but finding peace and balance definitely helps ease the anxieties that this pandemic has caused.