YOU ARE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS PANDEMIC !

Hello all, I just want to start by saying, I know I have been absent on here but I’m going to explain why. With the recent pandemic, I’ve found that everyone from the most privileged to the least has been effected in some way by COVID 19. This difficult time in our lives is only going to bring us closer and make us stronger as a nation. We are learning that we need to constantly make safe choices and practices. Most importantly, we need to make sure we are taking care of ourselves mentally. A lot of people my age are relatively going through the same feelings. When face to face classes were canceled and all schools went remote, It felt like someone pushed pause on my reality button. Speaking from a personal narrative, my experience with the switch was not fun. All of a sudden I had to adapt to a new schedule that messed with my mind. I moved back to Texas from New York, and the change of environment did not go hand in hand with the load of work my college provided me. I have to wake up an hour earlier for my 8am classes, and make sure I turn all my assignments ahead of time because of the New York to Texas time difference. I was constantly worrying that I was going to sleep through my zoom meetings and miss “time period assignments,” meaning I have to finish the assignments in the time frame that would be my face to face class time. Stress with APA essays, projects, and finals, it felt like there was no end to the madness. I would dream about school work and wake up sweating out of fear that I was going to fail. I have 1 more week of classes, and I am doing much better now, but when I look back at just 3 weeks ago, I realize I was a ticking time bomb. You know I always talk about not accepting defeat, but I was so close to throwing in the towel as I was debating if college is even for me. I was considering dropping out because of the stress and unhappiness it brings me at times. That’s when my mother reminded me, anything you work for that comes in your life quick and easy, you have no worth or respect for it. New York has a flavor and attitude that you take on yourself, and when that was snatched away from me I really didn’t know how to handle it. I don’t want this to come off as complaining because I’m so privileged to be healthy and safe. I just simply had a hard time adjusting. I can happily say that I overcame the anxiety and depression with self examination. I had to sit myself down and be honest myself, why was I sad? why did I REALLY doubt my ability to finish college? Writing out a pros and cons list of your current situation is always a helpful tool. I also made sure I was constantly writing down my feelings in my journal. Releasing all those feelings on paper, so they don’t continue to build up for an explosive episode later down the line. Constantly remind yourself that where you are in this moment, is where you need to be to create the dream life you want to live. I can’t stress enough how we need to be happy with the life we have first until we can move to the next level of success. No one knows the future for certain, so all you can do is live in the present and believe - keep your faith. Never forget who you are and the things you are capable of. For those who are still in school until May, I’ll leave you with some advice: do your work ahead of time! Write your essays days before it’s due, so you have more time to go back and edit. Put effort and creativity into group or personal projects because you have the time, and you tend to feel better when you are proud of your work. In the meantime, stay inside, stay safe, and stay faithful.

Xoxo dessy