Anxiety and Stress During Covid-19
COVID-19 has been a stressful and frightening time for students, parents, and educators. Many people have lost their jobs and have had a hard time caring for their own. As a result, mental health in the United States has been declining.
Eastside High School was first shut down on March 13, 2020. That was the last time most Lions saw friends and teachers. Online school was shortly implemented after the shutdown. Most students had never used “online school” before, and many had trouble adjusting to it.
Last June, many seniors graduated online, instead of a traditional ceremony. This angered people and most seniors that year felt as they were “missing out” on some of the greatest moments of their high school lives.
Even now, over a year into the pandemic, online school is still the norm at Eastside and still extremely stressful for some students. Freshman Skyy Talbert says “Online school is stressful because I am not able to focus as much as I would be able to in class.”
Others have not had their mental health affected by Covid-19. “My mental health has been solid,” says Lyndsay Rouzer-Squyres, an English teacher at Eastside. “I have been lucky enough not to lose anyone personally, and my family has been healthy. I like online school, so no big issues there either.”
Mrs. Rouzer is just one of the lucky few who knows how to properly de-stress. “I destress with tea trays, like an old lady. I have at least 20 types of tea, 5 teapots with different patterns, and 15 vintage china teacups. I set up a whole tea party anytime I feel stressed,” she says.
Freshman Solomon Romani-Caceres has other ideas that might help. “Just take your mind off things with something you enjoy doing.” He continues, “Don’t take too long of breaks. You can go on your phone, play a game, or go outside.”
According to an article on www.apa.org, more than 84% of US adults are stressed because of Covid-19, and many don’t know how to distress. Other articles, including one available here, reveal that some students may get anxiety as well as stress due to Covid-19, online school, or family issues. The stress and anxiety in some students result in poor sleep habits.
Students and staff should know that they are not alone. They could reach out to family, friends, counselors, or seek professional help. There are many approaches to getting help.
For student who are experiencing school-related stress, they should attend office hours. They are from 1:30 to 3:00 pm for most teachers. After-school tutoring is offered from 3 to 4 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with evening sessions available from 7 to 8 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students can sign up for both by clicking here. Saturday school is also available and students can sign up by clicking here.
