Camille Schweppe
It’s surreal to be stuck at home because of a pandemic that is raging across the world, killing thousands and infecting even more. COVID-19 feels like something out of a science fiction movie that has all of a sudden turned into a vivid nightmare, haunting me even when I’m awake.
As a student, I’m coping with the transition to online school. It’s overwhelming when I get notifications of assignments all at once, and it’s completely on my shoulders to divide my time and complete it correctly. I’ve quickly learned online schooling isn’t for me. As much as I like to say I hate school, I miss it more than anything. I miss seeing my friends and being able to hug them on the bad days. I miss having conversations with teachers and walking through the halls I’ve grown accustomed to for three years. I’m coping, but it’s difficult not to suffer from my own internal battles.
As a 17-year-old girl, the adaptation to the new routine coronavirus has caused is tricky. I miss going to coffee with my friends. I miss driving to school everyday despite the terrible traffic because I was able to listen to my music and have ‘me-time’ before I got to school. I miss the routine I had every week that helped me control my mental illnesses. With so much down time and no reason to get ready for school, my depressive habits start to slip in and say “hello.” My insomnia has made an appearance as well, which doesn’t help me at all. With the Google Classroom assignments I’m given, my anxiety skyrockets and it’s hard to ground myself and realize I am smart and capable of the tasks I’m assigned. When I was going to school, I would take my meds right before I left; now that that routine is ruined, I am having difficulty adjusting and remembering to take my meds daily. But with help from my family and doctors, I am keeping my head fully above the waves.
I do love the bonding time I am getting with my family. We have been watching TV together, playing lots of games and learning Tik Tok dances. Recently, I played Nintendo Wii with my sister, and we’ve begun watching the “Harry Potter” movies from beginning to end, which is really meaningful to me. While it’s been nice to have so much time with my family it gets too much sometimes, so we make sure to have our own activities. I have been reading and listening to music to help me calm down and stimulate myself when I get sick of my family.
Although there’s so much negative energy because of COVID-19, I have kept in mind to count my blessings. I am grateful that my family is financially stable, I have a good home with plenty of things that keep me busy, I have friends, family and teachers that support me, and I have my good health.