Taking Care of My Mental

Taking Care of My Mental Health

Maile Kobayashi ‘20-’21

Treasurer

Life has been very different since school shut down and we’ve all been advised to social distance from each other. It has been months since I’ve seen any of my friends or teachers in person. I am always wondering how my social skills will be affected when it is time to return to school again. I can’t travel, go to my favorite boba shops, or play tennis, everything I was looking forward to doing this summer. But despite all of these bad things that come with quarantine, I am going to instead use it to my advantage to take care of my self while staying safe at home.

I have taken quarantine as an opportunity to get to know myself better. I have been so preoccupied during the school year worrying about my classes and AP World History, that I rarely had time to do what I enjoyed doing on a daily basis. After hours of studying at home, I would barely get time to myself. But now, I can make my own schedules, which I found to be very beneficial for me. I had less work to commit to and got to make each day my own, leaving plenty of time to do what I wanted.

During quarantine, I had less schoolwork and more time to be myself. I could stay up later, able to spend hours on my phone watching Disney+, YouTube, using Instagram, or playing games. I know that sounds unhealthy to a lot of people, but this quarantine is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to relax. Unless another pandemic comes around while I am still in school, I won’t get this freedom again, so I’m just taking advantage of it and enjoying myself.

As an introvert, I have loved pretty much every day of quarantine. I can finally read those books I’ve wanted to read, watch the shows I’ve been waiting for, and spending more time with my family. That is enough for me to be mentally happy.

I’ve been able to do so much exploring for myself lately, and I’ve never felt more happy than during quarantine. Less stress, less social interaction, and less work. However, I realize that not everyone feels this way about quarantine, and many don’t even get to stay at home. It made me realize how grateful I am to stay at home in a safe environment.

Basically, in my opinion, this entire quarantine has been a nice, long mental health break from school for me. When I’m at school, I get stressed and anxious sometimes. But at home, I have all the time I need to do what I love, such as reading, drawing, cooking/baking, playing on my phone, and being with family. For as long as this quarantine lasts, I will be mindful everyday and do what makes me happy to distract myself from what is happening outside.