How Covid-19 Impacted The Lifestyle Of A Student

(A blog from PapersHelm Writer)

From the beginning, humans have dealt with wars, global catastrophes, pandemics, and threats throughout history. We have faced these events head-on and come out of them better and more robust. Fighting with wars is far more comfortable than pandemic; in a war, you know what your enemy is and how to defend yourself against it. However, dealing with a pandemic is a different story. Our generation is at the moment witnessing the worst pandemic in the last 53 years; COVID-19. Although it might not be as threatening as the Bubonic Plague, its severity is only justified by the effect it has made on a global level. Like everyone else that has been affected by this pandemic, students are the worst hit. Lockdown, social distancing, and quarantine have affected their calendar year and upset the routine and grades. Following are some:

Lack of Social Interaction

This generation is experiencing the first lockdown ever. In the early days of the pandemic, this was the only solution to preventing the coronavirus spread and is still applicable to several regions. Among the first to be closed were schools, colleges, and universities, as they were quickly becoming the hotspots for spreading the disease. Before COVID-19, it might have sounded like a good idea; not attending the day to day college and spending all the time lying around in your house started to make students anxious. The monotony of staying in one place and not seeing or meeting up with your friends is finally taking a toll on them. Almost all the students worldwide want their routine restored. It’s making them frustrated and, above all hampering their studies. The fear of staying behind and losing the position in the class is a nightmare for many. Students who are used to stay on the top are now facing stress, feeling nervous, and edgy.

Adjusting to a New Normal

While those early days of panic might have subsided to some extent now, the fact remains that the educational institutions have not opened with the regular schedule. Students and teachers agreed to continue studies regularly with online classes to avoid the loss of precious time. This sounds like an excellent way to continue your studies without actually going to the class, but the classroom used to stimulate the studying habits of many students. Students need to get into a specific frame of mind to perform well in their studies, which could be primarily achieved by attending the classes daily. Adjusting to this new form of education has been difficult for all of them; some teachers prefer a recorded session to make notes but can’t cross-question, even if it’s a live session. Not every student can stay attentive to the lecture without being distracted by their family or another technical issue.

Effect on Studies

This global pandemic has almost slowed the growth of every sector and individual. While the concept of working and studying from home is taking its shape and getting more practical, for the time being, it is much affecting not only the academic calendar but also the studies. Unfortunately, since the pandemic coincided with the start of the academic year in almost every educational institute, it has bred uncertainty among the new and old students alike. For the new ones, the fact that they cannot start a new chapter of their lives and have to make do with unconventional teaching methods is keeping them less motivated and worried about their futures. For the old ones who were about to graduate and complete their education, the delay and wait made them anxious and unsure about their careers. The effects it’s going to have on their professional life can have consequences.

Mental Health Issues

Like all the past pandemics that have wreaked havoc globally, COVID-19 will leave significant mental health issues as its everlasting side effect. This global pandemic is no different; while it might have been difficult to control at its peak, the challenge now is to live with it while keeping our sanity in check. In this regard, students are the most sensitive demographic as they are more susceptible to mental health issues than any other group. They are known to mentally breakdown under pressure situations, and COVID is doing precisely that. Students like to study in groups, joking around and trying to get by difficult subjects as lightly as possible. This, in turn, keeps them lively and stress-free; since they can’t have these everyday activities, the challenge for them is to not only keep their focus but to stay sane.

Keeping Hopes High

Life is slowly coming back to normal around the world, but we are not entirely out of it yet. One can assume that we are getting used to on and off lockdown. Many countries have lifted a complete lockdown and allowed institutes to reopen with a small number of returning students, but many are still taking precautions. COVID-19 has receded in the past couple of months, but the threat of a second wave and a complete shutdown is very much a possibility. For students, keeping up hopes and dreams of their futures has become a real challenge. Students are now getting genuinely worried about their studies and what the future holds for them; there is no cure as yet, and this is also making the situation unbearable. Students need to be assured to keep their hopes and morales high, and the only way to do it is to go back to their classes.

Conclusion

Like all the past disastrous events in which the humans came out as a victor, this one will also take time, but eventually, we will conquer it at some point. While it’s impossible not to be affected by this pandemic, physically or mentally, students need to stay focused on their goals and keep positively thinking about their futures. Like everything that starts has an end, this global pandemic too will ease up or end eventually. So, better buckle up and take it as a unique lifetime experience.