Students Get Into a Virtual Rhythm

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taken the world by storm. With most people being stuck inside, seclusion and boredom is the talk of the town. But of course, that talking has to occur via Zoom call. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being stuck in quarantine is a major cause of stress. Quarantine stress is accompanied with a disturbed sleep and meal schedule, fear, paranoia and even depression. It may also lead to chronic health conditions if prolonged.

In an interview with local psychologist Dr. Patrick Grehan, he mentioned quarantine potentially increasing irritability as well.

“When I talk to people, they seem to say they are more irritable,” Grehan said. “It is probably because on a normal day, they have school and see friends or even go to work to give them a routine, and it is different now.” Grehan also discussed how breaking these routines contributes to boredom or even unnatural responses to interactions with friends or loved ones.

So, the question stands: how are people best combatting this stress and perpetual boredom? It goes without saying that streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ have gained many more members after the establishment of quarantine. However, some people are dealing with the quarantine in unhealthy ways. Numerous people are turning to substance abuse to alleviate their lock-in anxiety. The use of tobacco products and alcohol is uncoincidentally increasing. The CDC advises people to often take breaks from viewing information about the news, or anything that causes them distress, and instead look towards enjoyable and healthy outlets, perhaps even engage in their favorite hobbies instead. Many people have ceased watching the news altogether during this period, seeing as most channels exclusively discuss COVID-19.

The families and individuals most affected emotionally are those who live paycheck to paycheck. Coronavirus made way for 6.6 million people filing for unemployment in a single week, the highest in U.S. history. Of course, this poses financial issues, but it also instills distress in the affected families, making them wonder when their next meal will be. First responders and healthcare workers are constantly on edge as well, wondering each and every day whether or not they will contract the virus from patients and then perhaps even spread it to their families. Many doctors self-isolate themselves from their families to prevent passing the virus onto their loved ones. This constant state of uncertainty and lack of family unity puts immense emotional stress on the affected families. Being alienated from your own family while treating others for COVID-19 is overwhelmingly hard on people mentally.

In terms of communication, Zoom is the most popular, especially for work and education. Seeing friends is often a source of consolation for many people, whether they are growing up in a difficult environment or not. Without the rhythm of seeing friends, life gets a little bit more difficult to bear for some people. Applications such as Houseparty and FaceTime are widely being used to talk with friends and colleagues.

“FaceTime interaction is as close as it gets to face to face interaction,” Divya Maharaj ‘23 said. “FaceTime essentially acts the same, but it is not the same.”

Until the coronavirus quarantine is over, the people who seek solace in being with their friends will unfortunately have to wait it out. Although the COVID-19 outbreak has not been easy on anyone, it is important to appreciate the good in life and find healthy outlets for lock-in stress.