Student Life in the Era of Covid

Hey Readers!

 My name is Maranda and I am a junior in high school. COVID has certainly changed my life both in school and socially. Overnight, my entire life changed. Unlike last year, this year I am taking mostly required classes. It was my hope to take Psychology, but due to COVID our schedules had to change! School has moved to completely online despite being originally told we would be in person. I don't mind it every day, but it is a lot of hours online.  I think it would be less tiring for all students if it was shorter hours on the screen. 

Maranda Howell, Intern
Maryland Counseling Associates

Maranda Howell ’22 has a unique interest in the mental health field. She is currently a high school student interested in pursuing Psychology in college.

When I first learned about COVID-19 I was not very worried about it.  I imagined we would be back in school in about two weeks MAX, however, we all know that was not the case. At first, I had no idea it was going to be this bad but soon learned that it was a very bad virus.  I became scared when spreading fast. At first, I thought that the pandemic was a bit manufactured and dramatic,  but that was just my hope with wanting schools to open. 

As mentioned earlier, my school ended up having online classes from 8 am-1:30 pm and it was very hard for me. I had to try 10x harder in school than ever before. It was a big adjustment!  I am not a fan of online school, but I make it work. At the end of September, we should be returning to in-person school with so many new rules. It will be very different with half the students going on one day and then the other half will go on an A and B schedule. As of right now, if we go back,  we can only have 12 kids in a classroom at a time. We will not have lunch in a cafeteria, so you must eat in your car or a lawn chair in the outside quad. Administration has become very strict with touching others. For example, no hugs, fist bumps, or handshakes etc. While I have seen my good friends,  I I have not spoken to many teachers. Now that school is back in session, I do get to talk to my teachers everyday, which creates some normalcy.  

While COVID-19 had many negatives, being home all day has helped me watch my eating habits. I wanted to start eating healthier. My social life has changed as well.  I have tried my best to stay in contact with my friends and family, but that has certainly been difficult.  Many people still are not allowed to hang out very much due to the pandemic, but I Facetime and text them as much as possible to keep in touch. 

COVID-19 has impacted my mental health, as much as my education and social life. No matter how busy I am, I want to sleep. Not only am I physically tired, I am mentally tired of everything. After school and being home all day,  all I want to do is sleep and not talk to anyone. This is out of character for me. My family noticed my mood was changing as well.  

I feel like COVID-19  has a different impact on everyone. My siblings say they have been doing fine, but some others at my school said they have also felt down. Despite the new stressors in life, I needed to learn to cope. However,  I feel more excited about going out to see my friends I haven't seen in a while. When I am very stressed I listen to music to calm down. Sometimes I will call a friend and ask to take a drive with the windows down. Another thing I do is try to get all my school stuff organized or clean my room to keep my mind busy. I feel accomplished and relieved when I am done cleaning. Any type of change in your everyday life will impact you positively or negatively; it’s just a matter of what you do with it!