Mental Health Issues in The Pandemic

By Gabrian Cornelis International Relations Student at International University Liaison Indonesia Email: gabrian.sutiman@stud.iuli.ac.id

Dealing with mental health – and issues related to such – has always been and will always be a great challenge for university students. One’s mental health is incredibly important, and even in the online-learning era, it should always be nothing short of a priority. Yet, it is a big problem for many students, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIRST

with a worldwide pandemic, mental health and how it may deteriorate is the least of the government’s concern. The fact that social mobility is now limited may cause students that suffer from mental health problems to feel isolated, scared, and alone in facing their problems.

Feelings of loneliness cannot be fought unless it is one’s own will, which grows from a journey of healing. Recovery starts with the courage to speak up and to seek help, yet garnering the strength and valor to do that is no easy task. From my own experience, I know how difficult it is to open up to other people. Perhaps you think you are ready – but when the moment comes, you face a lot of hesitation, or you question whether the person is trustworthy or not; how the person will react; or maybe even you feel embarrassed and ashamed. If you have taken this first step, you should know that you are a very brave person and that you are stronger than you think.

SECOND

on top of loneliness and feelings of isolation, expectations that students have of their own selves may also be one of the triggers of mental health problems. Every student who comes to university has their own hopes and dreams they want to achieve. Some focus more on hands-on experience, some focus more on joining organizations, and others focus more on their academic studies, depending on the paths they want to go on in the future. Whilst expectations can keep students motivated, it can also push them to work themselves out too hard, turning it into pressure instead. If these expectations are not attained, then they will put even more pressure on themselves. For me, in my first and second semester, I pushed myself to get a lot of good grades – not to please my parents, but for my own personal satisfaction, as prior to entering university, I was not the brightest student.

Getting A-scores in many university subjects made me feel good about myself and I wanted to keep it going, so in the process, I neglected myself. I understand that expectations are the one that wakes us up in the morning and helps us survive doing whatever we have to during the day, but is it worth sacrificing our mental health?

This pandemic forces us to learn from home where we spend countless hours in front of our laptops, interacting merely with moving images on a flat screen. Considering the circumstances, I have just laid out, I think it is wise to reconsider or even reduce our own expectations. Nonetheless, the only person has the right to decide how much expectation you want to carry on your shoulders is yourself – and only yourself. If you feel good and you are capable, then you should carry on. If you feel that you are starting to struggle, there is always time and it is completely okay to choose a different path.

I would like to share a technique that I used facing anxiety – the mindfulness technique. Some of you may already be familiar with this technique, but for others who are new to this, in short, mindfulness is a meditative cognitive behavioral method that helps you to focus more on your surroundings and to live in the moment, and it can be done anywhere, anytime. Some of the predominant issues for people who suffer from anxiety are overthinking and constant negative thinking, and thus, this technique specifically aims to redirect your attention to redirect your attention and regain control over your mind. There are many forms of mindfulness exercises, but one form that I personally find effective is paying attention. It might sound like an easy, no-brainer thing to do, but in reality, it is very difficult. Paying attention means to slow down in everything that we are doing and to concentrate. For example, when eating, try to fully enjoy your meal and feel the different textures of it. When you put on your clothes try to feel the way the fabric touches your skin. Is the fabric soft? Is it made of linen, cotton, or polyester?

When you do all these things, remember to do it without fear of judgment or stress. The idea of this mediation is to release the pentup stress and anxiety in your mind. At first, it might be challenging, wearisome, or even infuriating because we are used to having our mind ceaselessly thinking, but the more you do it, you will be more and more familiar with it.

There are many other types of mindfulness meditation that you can explore, but remember, the most important thing is not which type you choose or how long you can do it for – first and foremost, you must start doing it.

Autobiography: Gabrian Cornelis is currently taking his bachelor’s degree in International Relations at International University Liaison Indonesia (IULI) with an interest for the Middle East region and Gulf countries. Besides academic studies, he has been a writer and the Head of Internal Department at IULI’s International Relations Students’ Association (HIMAHI), while also acting as a liaison officer for online events.