Lori Deschene once said, “You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.”
I am sure each one of us can relate to this quote as this is how most of us would have been feeling amidst the pandemic. We are not only all away from our friends but we're also restricted from going outdoors and attending normal physical school.
Mental illness during the pandemic has had a drastic effect on each students' efficiency, concentration, motivation, and social interactions, which are key factors for healthy student life. According to a survey done by the Indian Psychiatry department, there was a 20% rise in the number of cases of mental illness at the end of March 2020, and it has gotten even worse since then. The main reason for this drastic rise is that students were missing out on the crucial balance between studies and play, and were emotionally affected since they were distant from their friends with no choice of playing outdoors, which directly induced stress on the students.
Some common mental health issues seen in students during the Covid-19 pandemic are irritability and mood swings, anxiety, dependence on video games and other types of entertainment (such as social media), anger issues, and random outbursts. These are a few of the many emotions that most of us would have experienced.
However, to cope up with such emotions, one can have a good routine involving plenty of sleep and regular exercise, stay in touch and express their feelings to family and friends, be creative and find new interests to keep oneself occupied, create to-do lists, and prioritize tasks.
Although this time was tough for each one of us, we discovered new hobbies and passions, spent quality time with family, and made stronger relations with others. This time has helped us improve ourselves in many ways and has made us independent without being dependent on others for completing our work which we would not have been able to experience otherwise.
Finally, to end on a positive note, vaccinations are a ray of hope for a better future for us all. We all should be looking forward to a brighter and happier school and student life soon.
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