Item
Chelsea Langerud
Title (Dublin Core)
Chelsea Langerud
Description (Dublin Core)
Short text
Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
text story
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
04/29/2020
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
11/13/2020
02/26/2021
11/16/2021
Date Created (Dublin Core)
04/28/20
Text (Omeka Classic)
As school was nearing its busiest part of the year, from events piling up with my sorority, to a hectic season of work approaching, I found myself becoming filled with worry, stress, and anxiety, looking forward to some downtime during spring break. However, when I returned home for a one-week visit, little did I know is what I thought would be a relaxing, short spring break trip would unknowingly become a near two-month quarantine. As my spring break continued, it seemed as if the news was progressively getting worse, cases were escalating, and the uncertainty and concern were rising. After given the news that classes would be online for the rest of the semester, it seemed as if in the blink of an eye I was moved out of my dorm, isolated from the world, and stripped away from the life I had just worked so hard to build up at college. Before I knew it, I was abruptly given no choice but to pick up my life as I knew it and change every single aspect of it.
As I transitioned to remote learning with 6 classes, 18 credits, and started working remotely, I soon realized that the only control I had in this situation was to accept my reality and make the most I could out of the given circumstances, whatever that looked like for me personally. Because I had more time to relax than originally expected, I decided to refocus myself in order to get a handle on the anxiety that had piled up and to regroup in order to exit this unprecedented time as healthy and productive as possible. I started by stepping into self-care; I began taking appropriate vitamins and supplements needed to build my immune system and keep me as healthy as possible, while also closely watching what I ate and fed my body. Alongside this new and needed self-care, I also found myself picking up interests I hadn’t had the time or patience for previously: from learning more songs on the ukulele, creating fashion sketches in between classes or assignments, and even working on my cooking skills, I began doing things I found enjoyable and fulfilling. After taking the time to focus on me and to become selfish with my personal growth for once, I realized that the anxiety I once felt overwhelmed with slowly became replaced with true joy, peace, and contentment. While although it felt as if the world around me was crumbling, I felt steady and on solid ground because of where I chose to turn my focus to.
Aside from the personal growth that I was able to discover during this time, I also recognized the importance of community, friendship, and family. Due to the circumstances that the world has been in, I found that both my definition and my view of friendship had developed. I strongly believe that no matter the distance two people may be in, the time they have gone without talking, or the arguments or disagreements that may have come between them, the bond that may have once been broken can always be rebonded. Once a connection is created between two people, love is the only thing needed in order to water what was initially planted. During this time, I have found myself surprisingly reconnecting with people of all distances, locations, and backgrounds. From childhood friends to once-broken friendships, the power of connection, communication, and love have all been made undoubtedly present to me. Additionally, while I have always been one to value family first, the importance and value of it have become even more of a reality to me within the past two months. While my family has always been extremely close to each other, as my sisters and I have gotten older, everyone has been separated geographically. With my oldest sister living in Washington D.C., my middle sister living in Arizona, and me having to move back with my parents to California, we had to find ways to maintain the close connection and relationship that we have. So, just as every class, meeting, and celebration had been doing, we as a family decided to turn to Zoom calls in order to help feel as close as possible during such an unprecedented time. Starting with my birthday in early April, to having an Easter Brunch together, my family and I did what we could with the situation we were in, Although the celebrations and holidays were far from common, the effort we took to continue to connect and support each other over the phone seemingly made a lasting impact on my view and value of the importance of family.
After reflecting on my own experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeing how it has affected me personally, I believe that overall, I have grown a tremendous amount. From learning about myself personally, finding new hobbies and revisiting old ones, while also reconnecting with friends and family, the amount of growth seems to soar far beyond the uncertainty of the world’s circumstances. I feel that as I walk away from these times and look back on them later, I will be able to feel proud of myself for the way I lived, grew, and processed through them.
As I transitioned to remote learning with 6 classes, 18 credits, and started working remotely, I soon realized that the only control I had in this situation was to accept my reality and make the most I could out of the given circumstances, whatever that looked like for me personally. Because I had more time to relax than originally expected, I decided to refocus myself in order to get a handle on the anxiety that had piled up and to regroup in order to exit this unprecedented time as healthy and productive as possible. I started by stepping into self-care; I began taking appropriate vitamins and supplements needed to build my immune system and keep me as healthy as possible, while also closely watching what I ate and fed my body. Alongside this new and needed self-care, I also found myself picking up interests I hadn’t had the time or patience for previously: from learning more songs on the ukulele, creating fashion sketches in between classes or assignments, and even working on my cooking skills, I began doing things I found enjoyable and fulfilling. After taking the time to focus on me and to become selfish with my personal growth for once, I realized that the anxiety I once felt overwhelmed with slowly became replaced with true joy, peace, and contentment. While although it felt as if the world around me was crumbling, I felt steady and on solid ground because of where I chose to turn my focus to.
Aside from the personal growth that I was able to discover during this time, I also recognized the importance of community, friendship, and family. Due to the circumstances that the world has been in, I found that both my definition and my view of friendship had developed. I strongly believe that no matter the distance two people may be in, the time they have gone without talking, or the arguments or disagreements that may have come between them, the bond that may have once been broken can always be rebonded. Once a connection is created between two people, love is the only thing needed in order to water what was initially planted. During this time, I have found myself surprisingly reconnecting with people of all distances, locations, and backgrounds. From childhood friends to once-broken friendships, the power of connection, communication, and love have all been made undoubtedly present to me. Additionally, while I have always been one to value family first, the importance and value of it have become even more of a reality to me within the past two months. While my family has always been extremely close to each other, as my sisters and I have gotten older, everyone has been separated geographically. With my oldest sister living in Washington D.C., my middle sister living in Arizona, and me having to move back with my parents to California, we had to find ways to maintain the close connection and relationship that we have. So, just as every class, meeting, and celebration had been doing, we as a family decided to turn to Zoom calls in order to help feel as close as possible during such an unprecedented time. Starting with my birthday in early April, to having an Easter Brunch together, my family and I did what we could with the situation we were in, Although the celebrations and holidays were far from common, the effort we took to continue to connect and support each other over the phone seemingly made a lasting impact on my view and value of the importance of family.
After reflecting on my own experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeing how it has affected me personally, I believe that overall, I have grown a tremendous amount. From learning about myself personally, finding new hobbies and revisiting old ones, while also reconnecting with friends and family, the amount of growth seems to soar far beyond the uncertainty of the world’s circumstances. I feel that as I walk away from these times and look back on them later, I will be able to feel proud of myself for the way I lived, grew, and processed through them.
Accrual Method (Dublin Core)
2824