I don’t think anyone could have expected the Coronavirus to shut down the world like it has these past few months. This has definitely been one of the craziest and trying periods of my life. As a teenager ending high school, I was so bummed out about missing all of the traditions that come with being a senior. But ultimately, staying at home and being deprived of normalcy opened my eyes to a whole new world as society changed overnight.
As someone who struggles with social anxiety, I honestly didn’t mind the quarantine at first. I was able to stay home in my pajamas and avoid wearing real pants for a while, which is always a good feeling. But then, online school started. Finishing high school online was one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had. On one hand, I woke up 5 minutes before my zoom calls and got to sit in bed while listening to my teachers’ lecture about the end of the Cold War and how to find the Cotangent of a right triangle. It was pretty much what every kid wishes what school was like until it wasn’t.
There came a time when I actually missed going to school. I missed passing people in the hallways, I missed seeing my friends at lunch, I even missed waking up at 7 am. But what I missed most of all was my routine. Without my everyday routine, I began to feel a bit lost and my anxiety skyrocketed. This feeling combined with the huge questions that no one could answer about the future of our world created a depressing environment for me. Not being able to see my friends or live out my final high school days with the people I had gone to school with for 15 years was tough, and still is, as I never really got the closure from high school needed to move onto college. There was even a time when I struggled to remember what life was life prior to quarantine. But, there was always something in the back of my mind telling me that it is all going to be ok.
I may not have been able to get the answers I so desperately wanted at the time, but I was able to find a community of people who were going through the same situation as I was. I had to remember that I was not alone. Even when I got on social media I felt some sort of comfort because I saw celebrities and people I looked up to experiencing the same emotions as me and, in a way, I felt closer to them. Prior to this pandemic, I felt that social media pressured people to essentially “show your best and hide the rest,” but once everyone was forced to stay at home, people began trading in their diets and makeup for sweatpants and fresh faces. People started spreading positivity and encouragement across social media rather than hate and negativity. Seeing so many people, some who I didn’t even know, go through the same craziness as me made me feel a sense of comfort and gave me a community to share my experiences with. Specifically, watching the different ways in which people were coping was not only helpful but inspiring. There was so much creativity and innovation born during this time that may have never happened if we did not go through this trying time in all of our lives.
Overall, I have seen a huge societal change since this pandemic has begun and I do believe it’s for the best. People have learned to reconnect with each other and find new passions while igniting their creative juices! Meanwhile, social media has adjusted to spreading positivity and encouragement as we all struggle to find our way just sitting at home. This entire situation is something I would have never imagined myself going through, but it has ultimately made me realize that good things come from bad and that life will hit you with obstacles when you least expect it, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I encourage you all to try and stay positive during this time!
