Mental Health during COVID-19
The pandemic exacerbated concerns about my mental health. As a mixed-status, first generation, and low-income student, I’ve had to face a lot more stress during this time than other students. These intersectional identities have affected the way I adjusted to the new college environment, and this process led to feelings of isolation, imposter syndrome, and doubt. When classes transitioned online for spring quarter 2020 of my freshman year, I’ll never forget this moment because I started to feel a lot more anxiety and depression. I was missing a sense of connection and normalcy due to the lack of social interaction with others. Remote learning has caused me to develop mental and physical fatigue with poor sleep habits and changes in appetite because in all my 20 years of life so far, I’ve never been so overwhelmed and stressed out before. Online classes have been tremendously difficult for me because of the increased workload that we’ve been given by professors. I’ve had to seek out therapy, as a result, because the effects of social distancing have taken a toll on me and my well-being. Over the past year, this extended period of social isolation has really impacted my motivation and outlook on life. There have been times where I’ve felt alone and like a burden because of the multiple instances I had to ask for help from my professors in terms of my academics and learning. Before the pandemic, life was already hard but now, life is even harder because the majority of our lives and time are being spent online now.