SelfDesign learner Alyssa shared this essay on self-care that she wrote for her Composition 10 course. We are sharing it today in the hopes of shedding light on the realities young people are facing during the pandemic. Alyssa hopes that her essay may help other young people to feel supported through these unprecedented times. You can learn more about SelfDesign’s pandemic response plan here.
The struggle is real
by Alyssa, SelfDesign Learner
Starting today, we need to forget what is gone, we need to appreciate what still remains, and we need look forward to what is coming next.
I am not just speaking for myself, but for all of us adolescents. The pandemic has dramatically changed our lives. Since the coronavirus became a global pandemic and life around the world changed drastically, I personally have been trying to stay positive.
It’s not an easy task: life has changed for us all. Although the struggle is real, we still are managing and pushing our way through some difficult uncertainties.
There is no escape, and we must go on. In fact, almost daily, we either see or hear about the pandemic on our social media platforms, radio and the news, and we hear the adults in our life discussing it. We just can’t get away from it: it’s our “New Normal.”
Now that we are into our second wave of the pandemic, we have learned somewhat to put up with all the new rules and regulations. It can affect us adolescents directly or indirectly. Beyond getting sick, for many of us, our social, emotional and mental wellbeing have been impacted by the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders have been unfortunate, because the clock keeps ticking. We’ve had to miss out on birthdays, vacations, and competitions – and these are just a sample of many significant life events that we may have missed.
The struggle at times is unexplainable as we feel alone and anxious, and yet we are fully aware the whole world is suffering.
In addition to everyday steps we have to take to prevent the virus from spreading, physical distancing is one of the best tools we have. However, having to physically distance from someone you love can be very difficult.
We struggle when asked to change our social routines – from choosing to skip in-person gatherings (especially gymnastics) to constantly having to wear a mask in public settings. We have to take responsibility to protect ourselves and others, as well as safely connecting with friends and family.
Personally, I miss the hugs the most.
The stress affects us all differently, but in the end, we all need to support each other.
Public-school closures due to COVID-19 have meant that many kids have had to switch to online platforms – something some young people had never experienced before. I am so grateful that I was already learning online and this change in schooling doesn’t affect me personally. Unfortunately, the immediate switch to online learning was hard for many kids, especially the students who rely on developmental services. We have to understand that, for these students, virtual learning may be challenging because they need one-on-one or in-person help. The increased online activity also may put some adolescents in harm’s way for cyberbullying, exposure to potentially harmful content, and so on.
All in all, there are actions we have to take to protect others, to prevent getting sick and to slow the spread. It can be exhausting. Even though the struggle is real, we have to encourage each other to be good role models. We have to try and stay positive, even when it feels like your life is falling apart. We are grateful for the Internet and all its capabilities because we are able to connect with others whenever we want. Back in 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic, people didn’t have the technology to stay in contact with one another.
Those times would have been even more difficult than now… not that I am undermining what is happening to us today, because the struggle today is real.
