Hey Everyone,
My name is Suhaana. 2020 for me has been a huge challenge, this includes many major changes to my college and social life routine. When I first heard about coronavirus, I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly know what it was or how serious it was, until I heard a lockdown was taking place.
When the lockdown was officially announced my mental health took over me immediately, I started to panic and ask myself questions such: Oh no what’s going to happen about my final drama performance? How am I going to rehearse with my class? How am I going to get my coursework done? What will I do whilst being stuck at home? All these thoughts made me so panicked and anxious at first, but when I eventually calmed myself down by listening to music and talking to people that I’m close to, I took a deep breath and said to myself, “Right, what am I going to do to stay occupied during quarantine and how am I going to adjust to my new life style?” And there was an obvious answer to both my questions and this answer, is a piece of advice I would like to share with you all, the answer to both my questions was “ I’m going to pursue all my hobbies, all the things that I love to do, the things keep me happy and positive.”
Doing the things that you love to do, will not just keep you occupied, but they will also make you feel positive at the same time, and I believe keeping positive is the most important thing right now and it’s something we should all be doing during this time. For me, writing, reading, baking, watching movies, playing piano, spending time with my family and watching YouTube videos, keeps me really happy and positive, and I love doing all these things.
In terms of the adjustments I made whilst we were all in quarantine, as I was not allowed to do all the things I would normally do such as go to college, hangout with my friends, go Waterstones to buy books ( a very important part of my life), I started thinking of ways that I could keep active and the ideas I came up with were, I could take short walks with my family whilst keeping safe at the same time, and I could do my daily 10,000 steps just by walking up and down my house. These ideas definitely worked for me as I got to stay healthy whilst being in quarantine. During quarantine I also started writing a book, and I have continued to write this book up till this day, I began writing in May.
Mental health is something we all experience in different ways. In my experience, I get overwhelmed easily and emotions such as: anxiety, anxiousness, anger, panic, and fear take over me. I also intend to worry about the smallest of things as well, whether that would be, not getting work done on time or if something isn’t being done right, it worries me easily and I get overwhelmed.
The way I coped with my mental health during quarantine is I used techniques such as: Talking to loved ones, listening to music, reading books, writing stories/scripts, playing piano, watching fun thing on YouTube, taking a hot shower, and drinking tea. Reading, writing, and playing piano are more hobbies than techniques to me because I love doing them, that’s my second piece of advice to you, do what you love during quarantine because those things you love doing won’t just keep you occupied, they will also keep you positive with a smile on your face. Talking to loved ones, listening to music, and watching YouTube are more of the healing techniques that I use to calm myself down if I’m feeling overwhelmed, so I would encourage you to try out these techniques!
Talking to your loved ones and friends, I find is extremely helpful. Because whenever you need someone to talk to or to make you smile and laugh, your loved ones and friends are always there! I know with all the social distancing, it can be hard to meet up with them in person, but there are always ways you can communicate with your loved ones and friends, whether that would be face timing them, talking on the phone and even texting them! I also find that your loved ones and friends keep you very positive and it’s important to always be positive especially during this time, never forget that!
Taking a hot shower and drinking tea are new techniques that I started using a year ago and they have honestly helped me out so much. How? When taking a hot shower, it relaxes your mind and calms it down, so that you can reflect back on and think about whatever it is that is making you feel overwhelmed and find a way to solve the situation. Drinking hot tea, numbs your headaches and makes the pain your head is in from being overwhelmed go away, when the pain goes, it also takes your overwhelmed worries and stresses along with it. So I would definitely encourage you to try out these techniques!
Before I found all of these techniques, I let my mental health get the better of me and as a result, I ended up in tears. I was always afraid that I will never find ways to cope with my mental health. But eventually, I found all these great techniques and now I use them anytime I’m feeling overwhelmed!
Remember everyone, it may not be so easy to cope with your mental health at first, but trust me, when you find the right healing techniques to help you cope with your mental health you will be just fine. I will also say, never be afraid to try out new techniques because then you will never know if they work or not, so never be afraid to try. Also remember that you are never alone when dealing with your mental health especially during this tough time, we’re all in this together and we will get through it together!
In terms of my college life now, my college have made adjustments to make sure myself and all the other students are being taught in a safe and secure environment. One of these adjustments include remote learning one week at home and learning one week in college. This adjustment has made me feel a lot more safer whilst studying and I have no more worries about not being safe whilst learning.
As a reflection, I want you to remember to never be afraid of trying out new techniques to help you cope with your mental health and also never be afraid to try anything new! And remember that, during this time or any time, you are never alone because we’re all in this together and we will get through it together!
Thank you.