By TAMARA SMITH
Contributing Writer
It has officially been about a year since the first cases of COVID-19 began to show signs to a small number of people throughout the United States, which tragically later turned into millions. From quarantining to social distancing and mask wearing, we as an entire population have gone through some form of sacrifice for our own well beings.
Not being able to see family that lives long distances away or even friends and significant others; COVID-19 has really had a tremendous impact on our physical and mental health. But the question is, how are we doing now, after we have experienced nearly a year of this virus?
Dating back to the beginning, schools were completely shut down, thousands of jobs were lost and even trips to local therapists have all been canceled. We can say that even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, it has definitely progressed from that stage.
Schools and universities are beginning to resume with the proper classroom requirements in order to ensure everyone’s safety, signs are located in every building for information about social distancing, and therapists are also working from home while speaking with their clients online rather than in person. With this form of organization, we can say that we are progressing in a positive direction during this time.
Mental health has always been an ongoing topic of discussion when it comes to COVID-19. Because of the ongoing restrictions on who we are able to see and who we cannot, this takes a toll on individuals emotionally.
With the feeling of isolation, this can cause the beginning of mental illnesses or worsen our already existing mental illness. And with places like malls and some restaurants beginning to open their doors safely to the public, this is definitely taking away the everyday stress of feeling alone and isolated.
By adding some form of normality during a crucial period that demands distance, it is safe to say that we are taking advantage of every opportunity to get outdoors, by following the rules given to us by our counties.
Speaking from personal experience that I am sure many others can relate to, during the start of the pandemic, it seemed nice to have a break from school. But to know that this would continue throughout the fall made me realize how important friends and family are to me.
Not being able to see friends that I deeply cared about wrecked me emotionally, but I had to find ways to cope. Calling, facetiming and texting were the way to go for many people during times when COVID-19 was on the rise once again.
Even though we are still going through a pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives in our country, the slow but steady openings that we are beginning to make feels a lot better than having towns completely shut down. With proper social distancing, and constant communication with loved ones, friends and significant others, we will be progressing from this virus and focusing more on trying to better ourselves, physically, emotionally and mentally.
