Living in a global pandemic, I find myself especially reflective. Unable to experience the everyday activities, people and places I once enjoyed, my life has been uprooted and lacks grounding. Trying to recalibrate to this “new normal” has been immensely difficult as I’ve been forced to reevaluate many aspects of my personal life.
Although this introspection has been adverse and often uncomfortable, it has illuminated what is and what is not important; I have fallen in love with the simple pleasures of life. Able to visualize my priorities with clarity, I find myself questioning my way of life before the pandemic; it feels as if I’ve existed in a fog of materialism and disillusionment.
Although I have been able to shift my perspective into a direction of positivity, many students like me have not. Struggling to cope with a vastly different landscape in terms of education, social life and home life, a large majority of individuals lack the proper support and care they need in a time as mentally depleting as the COVID-19 Pandemic. Forced to face their innermost demons, students and my friends alike have struggled intensely to find peace with the current state of the world. Bearing these immense changes in mind, psychologists have become hyper-aware of the exponential increase in mental health issues for young adults.
If YOU are experiencing feelings of self-doubt or hopelessness call the national suicide prevention hotline, 1-800-273-8255(TALK).