By Maddie Garvis//
The fear and stress college students, and all people, are experiencing during this pandemic could have long-term impacts.
“People have lost the sense of safety we’ve always had,” Dean of Chapel Beth O’Malley said. “With everything that’s going on, it can feel like there’s no place to rest where we don’t have to be vigilant.”
Hood students are facing increased stress and pressure as they deal with a combination of the challenges of an ordinary college experience and the challenges of a worldwide pandemic, all at once. O’Malley said that the pandemic has added extra pressures and worries on college students that have never existed for them before.
“In our culture, there is so much pressure to perform, succeed, compete, look your best, and other pressures,” O’Malley said. “COVID has added an extra, very heavy layer to that. Students are trying to navigate their college experience, and it’s like coming to an intersection where 15 different roads converge.”
Hood, like many other academic institutions nationwide, has made some efforts to alleviate pressure on students, with limited success.
The pandemic resulted in the canceling of the normally week-long spring break, to discourage students from travelling. This cancellation has had a considerable impact on students, as it has resulted in a virtually non-stop workload from the beginning of February to the end of May.
In its place was Wellness Week, a week of activities for students to participate in, during which professors were asked to lighten the workload on students to give them a little bit of a break. The college has also introduced wellness days into the academic calendar, giving students a day off from classes every few weeks.
Many students said that their professors assigned the same amount of work as any other week, so that aspect of the week wasn’t much different. “I think wellness week was a good idea in theory, but we still had classes and homework to be stressed about,” sophomore Tommy O’Neill said.
Cheyenne Bowman, a graduate intern with Hood Counseling, said that college students everywhere are mourning the normal college experience, resulting in a sense of collective loss. Bowman has been seeing students for virtual counseling sessions for the past two semesters and said that she has seen a lot more students this semester when compared to fall 2020.
Bowman said that virtual counseling isn’t necessarily less helpful or effective than in-person sessions, but it certainly is different. She said that virtual counseling is actually easier for a lot of students, and more flexible and able to fit into students’ busy schedules.
“I think it’s easier for people to schedule counseling when it’s just something they can do on their computer right after class,” Bowman said. “But I do really wish I could be there with someone. There’s so much value to being there and sitting with someone when they’re really struggling.”
Nationally, many people have concerns about going back to normal life, as found in a special report from NBC News. Mental health professionals recommend that people with social anxiety start to gradually participate in social situations, because continuing to avoid them will only make the anxiety worse, according to NBC’s report.
Hood College Senior Caylee Winpigler said that she’s had a hard time staying motivated during the pandemic as she’s been doing classes completely virtual from home.
“Prior to the pandemic, I think everyone knew I was a very go, go, go kind of person, and now there’s nowhere to go,” Winpigler said. “I find a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment in interacting with people, helping others, and having an active life. Running across campus between events is stressful, but it is a stress that I adored. Now, I hop from one Zoom call to the next and I feel drained.”
After graduating from Hood in May, Winpigler will be starting online graduate school at American University to earn her master’s in international relations. Winpigler said that her dream graduate school prior to the pandemic was the German and European studies program at Georgetown University.
Winpigler said that when she was accepted into the program at Georgetown she was “thrilled” until the school told her that they wouldn’t be able to offer her any financial aid. “This was a shock to me that I was not expecting, and I was heartbroken,” Winpigler said.
Winpigler said she thinks that if she’d been able to tour the schools in-person, she may have known more about scholarship opportunities that were available and other vital resources. “Without this interaction, I found out about many scholarships long after they were due,” Winpigler said.
O’Malley’s advice to students who are struggling is to try getting more sleep to allow themselves to recharge, and to try things like meditation to help cope with stress and anxiety. “Meditation helps us be fully present in the moment and allows us to tap into the strengths of the mind, body and spirit,” O’Malley said. “It’s good science, but it’s also magic.”
Bowman suggests that students try to change their environment when stress starts to get too overwhelming. She recommends getting outside to take a walk or even just going to a different room. “You really stay trapped in a certain headspace if you’re in the same physical place all the time,” Bowman said.
Bowman also stresses the need for students to not be too hard on themselves during this time.
“I really like to tell students to be very forgiving of themselves for maybe not accomplishing things during COVID,” Bowman said. “It’s important to remember how hard this has been for everyone, and to be just okay with what they needed to do to keep themselves going. Whatever that looks like. If that means you just woke up every day and brushed your teeth and were able to go to class, that’s fine.”
As this semester comes to an end, it’s important to be aware of how you’re feeling and to take steps to make sure you’re taking care of your mental health.
As Hood looks to the fall 2021 semester, the plan is to return to “normal” with majority in-person classes, hopefully leaving behind pandemic stress and returning to regular college stress.
Students can reach Hood counseling services at 301-698-8374, or can reach out to Rev Beth O’Malley, the wellness office, or the student success center for resources to help with mental health.
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