The Fountain: The Quarantine Effect

THE FOUNTAIN

The Quarantine Effect

By Rhode Francois | @Xclusive.dd

Before I can express what the next five years will look like,

it is important that I first look at how the past two years have been affected.

I think that most people don’t emphasize enough how the isolation that quarantine brought really had a big impact on teenagers. Personally, it was difficult for me, at first, to adapt to working and focusing on school all from home. While I did get lucky and managed to set up a system and schedule to focus myself, a handful of students were not able to. I witnessed 3.0’s dropping to 2.0’s and even to 1.0’s and lower.

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During quarantine, I found myself detaching from others and rarely talking to people that weren’t in my house throughout the day unless it was strictly school-related.

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I also suffered from social anxiety before Corona even reached the United States. During quarantine, I found myself detaching from others and rarely talking to people that weren’t in my house throughout the day unless it was strictly school-related. Communicating with people only from behind a screen became the new norm. Some people became worried about me and tried to contact me, but it was very hard to even reply. I didn’t notice how bad it really was until it was time to come back to in-person school, where I struggled to speak up without stuttering. It felt wrong to see so many people in front of my face again instead of behind a screen. Even at times, being in a place with too many people around me triggered panic attacks. Isolation really took a toll on my communication skills, which I know I will be developing and working on better in the future five years.

THE FOUNTAIN

After detaching and losing touch with many people, I was left alone with my thoughts most of the time. I was alone in my room, and all I could do was think, think, and think until it became too much, and I was drowning in my own thoughts. This really took a toll on me mentally, and only developed frequent breakdowns and anxiety attacks.

The one benefit that I did get out of quarantine was getting closer to God. Not having too much to do over the summer left me with limited options, including opening my bible. Who knew that I could slowly find myself again through a book. I was motivated to get back on my feet and face things that I struggled with to become a better version of myself.

Although the pandemic altogether has left some long-term damage to my mental health and social skills, I know that the next five years, for sure, will be used to face that damage and turn it around to develop myself. The small spark that God has given me has been enough to know that I have a chance of growing and becoming a better version of myself, whether it is socially, personally, professionally, or academically. While I did have some downs, I learned how to set up a schedule and system to help me all in those areas, especially academically.

Youth who struggle with mental health challenges may also see impacts on their engagement in the classroom and participation in learning. Having an engaged, caring adult can make a difference and schools have highly trained and skilled professionals in place to support students.

Who is on the school campus?

• School Behavioral Health Professionals

• School Counselors

• School Psychologists

• Co-located Mental Health Professionals

What do they do?

• Provide on campus counseling and support at no cost to families.

• Connect young people and their families through a mental health referral.

• Remove obstacles to mental health support

It’s OK to be OK. It’s OK to not be OK. It’s OK to ask for help. If your child is in need of help, please contact your school and ask for one of the school-based mental health professionals.

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The Fountain is a space for youth to share their point of view on things that matter to them. To contribute, send your article ideas to thewell@ bewellpbc.org with “The Fountain” in the subject line.

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