COPING WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AS A STUDENT

Samantha Mamuad

Mental health is more than just a person's psychological and emotional well-
being. It refers to a psychological and emotional state of health in which a person can use
their cognitive and emotional capacities, meet regular demands, and perform socially
acceptable tasks.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and social isolation policies
implemented by several countries have disrupted daily routines. Schools across the
country have closed their doors to help flatten the Covid-19 curve, and for children and
teenagers with mental health issues, these closures mean a lack of access to the resources
they typically have through schools. As a result, people with mental health issues were
unable to receive mental health care, worsening their situation.

Students are more likely than the general population to experience loneliness, as
well as higher levels of anxiety and depression. I have personally experienced a dramatic
shift in my emotions and personality as a result of the unexpected social isolation caused
by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Being an active student, my life revolves around joining extracurricular activities

inside and outside of the school. The joy, pride, and dignity I experience whenever I get
to win are unparalleled, and it's a different feeling to get to represent the blue and yellow
colors. Another thing that excites me every year are the school events where we can
showcase our talents and is one way for us to cope up with stress due to school works.
Lastly, getting to interact with my classmates - laughing and sharing stories with them -
may just be a simple act for other people but for me, it helps me forget my problems even
just for a while.

However, because of the restrictions and protocols that we had to follow, all the
things that I have been looking forward in school has been scrapped. As a result, I have
felt less connected with my friends, organizations, and hobbies and the thrill I have felt
throughout the years of being in school has gradually subsided. I found it really difficult
to adjust to the abrupt change from face-to-face study to modular learning. I was enrolled
and given modules, but I felt like I was not really learning anything because I was lacking
the passion and thrill I had experienced while in school. I became stressed and anxious as
a result, which had a serious impact on my mental health.

Since I spend most of my time at home, I've always felt under pressure—not from
my family, but from myself. I believed that nothing I was doing was right. I was at odds
with myself and looking for validation for what I do. There was no one I could express
my feelings with and as a result, I pressured myself into thinking that if I do better on my
studies, I would feel validated and people around me

The opening of schools was not an exception as the world began to recover from
Covid-19. Hearing that we could finally attend in-person classes thrilled me, but it also
made me nervous. When I returned to our school, I had no idea how to approach my
classmates. After being isolated for more than a year and unable to communicate with
anyone other than my family members, I was afraid to approach anyone for fear of being
judged for any reason. It took a long time for me to regain my confidence. But as time
passed, I tried to open up and get to know the people around me.

As the appointed SSG President, I know that it is not just me who has experienced
mental health problems. I have heard stories from other students on their experiences
coping up with stress and anxiety during months of home isolation. And for us to help
them, one objective of the SSG is to make activities that can help mitigate mental health
problems of students. Through our activities, I am confident that students were able to
enjoy and feel lighthearted to interact and open up themselves to their classmates and
teachers.