By Nicolas Lucente, Multiplatform Journalism Major, D.U. Quark Intern
I don’t know about everybody else but living in a country ridded by Coronavirus has become so easy for me. Maybe too easy. As a senior in college, it isn’t ideal that we can’t really go out and do the same things we used to be able to before the virus, but everything else has also changed. For instance, internships and other ways to gain experience in a field is hard to come by, education feels lack luster (not the quality wise, but the actually learning process) and motivation is at an all-time low.
I guess that’s what bugs me the most. Since it doesn’t feel like I’m doing as much work, I have almost tricked myself into not putting as much effort into said work. With all of this free time you would think that students would be planning their futures and that would be the smart thing to do. Instead, I almost feel trapped within the prison that is my house. Forced to interact with the same people day in and out. These people are my friends, but as time goes on there becomes a lack of mental stimulation. Partially because I am taking classes that do not require much thought since I’m just taking classes to graduate at this point, but also partially because of the fact that I am not able to do much outside of my house.
Maybe this isn’t a discussion of a lack of motivation and more about a lack of stimulation, but they kind of go hand in hand. I’m no doctor and I am far from being a scientist, I am simply explaining my experiences as time goes on living with Coronavirus.
In your early 20s, you’re supposed to be having fun while you’re young while also absorbing as much information as possible to prepare yourself for the workforce. Or at least that’s what I’ve always been told. Now, after a whole year of COVID, I feel drained. Even though I used to work three jobs and still had the energy to attend classes in person back in the fall of 2019, I never felt drained.
People who are much smarter than me have covered the topic of mental health and how the virus effects people mentally. At first, I didn’t understand the concept. Mental health has always been a serious discussion, but I did not understand how the pandemic would impact such a thing until recently. Staring at a computer all day just to go home and stare at another screen playing a video game or watching a movie gets daunting. Especially when you’re living in Pittsburgh where the winter just seems to keep on coming.
I’m sure other people feel the same way I do. Hopefully this whole mess will be over soon. When it does, do yourself a favor and go on a vacation. If I have learned anything from this virus, it’s the understanding of time. Time comes and goes and you can never get it back once it’s gone. Living in the present and appreciating the little things is all we can do, so when an opportunity presents itself, seize it.
Building Bridges 