Items

• 
  2021-02-17

  The Life of a College Student during the Pandemic

  I am submitting my experience during the pandemic because it is important to share with others who may be feeling the same way that I am. We all are learning first hand how to succeed during this pandemic and it is important we share with each other what our experiences are so we can grow together
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  2020-12-23

  COVID-19 The Good, The Bad, and The Deadly….

  COVID-19 The Good, The Bad, and The Deadly…. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck I was in the spring semester of my second year of nursing school. Being naïve and not having experienced a pandemic before, I expected COVID-19 to breeze in and out like the flu every year. What I didn’t expect was a deadly virus that would leave behind it a path of death, despair, and devastation. One of the biggest areas in my life that was impacted by COVID was my education. As classes moved to virtual platforms there was a major learning curve for both students and professors. CDC guidelines and social distancing made it difficult to find areas on campus to study and next to impossible to study in groups. My friends and I worried about our lack of clinical experiences and how that was going to impact our future. Since I had virtually no clinical hours during my specialty rotations, not only was I unsure of my skills, I was also unsure of where I wanted to take my nursing career. Returning to work over winter break was also very challenging. I am a patient care assistant and medication technician at an assisted living facility. All throughout the summer I worked with the threat of COVID looming above my head like a dark cloud. It was the first time in my life that I felt people really depended on me. I understood that my actions impacted the health of others. Fortunately, my residents all remained safe. However, I was not prepared for my return a few months later. The residents were no longer allowed to have visitors and they started testing positive for COVID. At one point we started to run low on personal protective equipment, but we were still trying to take all the precautions that we could to keep us and our residents safe. It was heart breaking to be the one holding a residents hand as they passed away due to coronavirus. My job became a lot more difficult having to communicate with families and watching their final moments with their loved ones. The residents that were lucky enough to not contract the virus were lonely and couldn’t understand why they had to quarantine. They felt abandoned and afraid. It was a very trying time for all my coworkers since we were all working overtime due to our staffing shortages. Working overtime was both physically and mentally draining. Even on my days off I was called in because staff members were getting sick and were unable to come in. It was mentally exhausting because every day I would come in to work and be nervous to walk in to report and see who had passed in the hours I was gone. COVID-19 also brought about some remarkable changes. I have spent a lot more time with my family as we have discovered our new passion-hiking. My co-workers and I have a new appreciation for one another and take the time to have meals together and support one another to make sure we are doing okay mentally. I have been part of innovative changes like my COVID-19 remote patient monitoring job and positive experiences at the COVID vaccine clinic. I have seen the medical and scientific communities collaborate on treatment guidelines and the development of a vaccine. It has also been an incredible period for change and innovation.
• 
  2021-02-04

  It Looks Like Its Not Just Me

  I came across this article about how many people are "hitting the wall" with COVID fatigue, and it helped me realize that my current state is not unique. Lately, I have been feeling the cumulative effects of the isolation that the pandemic has created. I feel less physically healthy, and mentally as well. Frankly, I do not think I am as mentally sharp as I was a year ago. It is at least comforting to know that I am not alone in this. There is also now hope that the pandemic will end and that life will return to some degree of its former normality, but it seems clear that this will take some time.
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  2021-02-05

  Getting Sick during a Pandemic

  I recently have struggled with a medical issue related to my back, quite possibly brought about by the stress of the pandemic. Getting sick during a pandemic is not only more common, due to stress, but also unnerving as you must go out to medical appointments, be around sick people, and worry about your sickness interfering with your body's work in fighting off the COVID-19 virus.
• 2021-01-28

  Amanda's future pandemic nightmare.

  The scene begins on december 31st 2019. Amanda: This year has been a wonderful year and I am ready to greet the next year 2020 with a few new year’s resolutions. My first new years resolution is- Mysterious time traveling Alien: I'm going to stop you right there. Amanda: who are you????!!!! Mysterious time traveling Alien: You aren’t going to get to do any of your new year's resolutions this year. Amanda: Yes I am. Why do you say that? Mysterious time traveling Alien: You’ll see. In fact, you’ll see right now. All of a sudden with a flash of blinding white-green light, Amanda is zapped 3 months into the future. Amanda: what happened? What day is it? She looks at her computer. Oh no! I’m late for a meeting! She then sees another email. It’s my boss. “Here is a zoom link” what is this? I guess I’ll click it. She enters the zoom meeting. Boss: alright. Hello, Amanda! So glad you arrived! So we have a problem. Amanda: No, I have a problem. What’s going on? Why are we on this call? Why am I not at work? Boss: are you serious? You don’t know? Yesterday you knew fine. You were saying you wished this pandemic would be over with. Amanda: But what’s going on? Boss: a virus has traveled around the world and has resulted in us having to stay at home, wear masks when we go outside, and do everything online. That’s why you’re here. Are you ok? Do you have amnesia? Amanda: i have to leave for a few minutes. Boss: the most i can give you is 20. Be sure to mute your mic and stop your video. Amanda: How do I do that? Boss: you do so like usual. Amanda: oh my god. What is going on? When i was making my new year's resolutions 10 minutes ago i had no idea this was what it was going to be like. How am I going to survive? I am never going to survive a day like this. Boss: um, Amanda? You’re not on mute. Amanda: How do i mute myself? Boss: you click on the bottom left hand corner of your screen and you have the option to mute and stop video. Amanda: ok. She does so, with much difficulty. Oh wait, Tiffany's calling. Maybe she can tell me what’s going on here. Tiffany: hey! How are you? What are you going to do today? Amanda: i was thinking about going to the grocery store, filing reports, and visiting you this afternoon. Tiffany: hold on, going to the grocery store? You have to order online. The only way you’re going to visit me is if you wear a mask. And the only thing you’ll get to do at home is the filling out reports thing. Amanda: how long is this going to last? Tiffany: what? Amanda: the whole “pandemic” thing. Tiffany: I think 2 weeks to a month. Amanda: thank god. Tiffany: I know, right? It’s terrible already! All of a sudden, Amanda’s Boss’s voice comes into her computer. Boss: Amanda? Are you ready to make your statement? Amanda: yes boss. Boss: i can’t hear you. You’re still on mute. Just as she finds the unmute and start video buttons, her 5 year-old daughter Vivian calls her saying she has been kicked out of her meeting. Amanda struggles for a few seconds, but then, with another blinding flash of white-green light, she is zapped into december 31st again. Mysterious time traveling Alien: Now do you see why you can’t do any of your new year's resolutions? Amanda: no, Tiffany said that the quarantining will only last 2 weeks to a month. I’ll have plenty of time to finish my new year's resolutions. Mysterious time traveling Alien: It’s going to be much longer than that. Amanda: *faints*
• 
  2021-01-22T20:30

  Life in a Bubble

  Seldom do we experience an apocalypse in such a light and introspective way.
• 2021-01-21

  MW: Should I Get Tested

  The CVS next to my house offers COVID tests. The test is the nose swab one and I really don't want that. I have gotten a nose swab before and remember it being very unpleasant. However, I have been exposed to a situation where I may potentially have been exposed. I don't have any symptoms but the thought of the nose swab is stressful. I wish they had less invasive tests near me.
• 
  2020-05-20

  Gia's Soft Fur

  I will always remember the feeling of my dog Gia's soft fur and the tickle and wetness of her silky tongue licking my hand during this pandemic. These sensory experiences soothed me during a stressful and anxiety-ridden time during the COVID pandemic. When the pandemic worsened in March 2020 and the state of Utah went into a full lockdown, my family's life changed suddenly. My son's birthday party was canceled. My children began school online. My husband no longer found himself flying to New York or Los Angeles, and I found myself filled with worry and anxiety. How will my elderly parents weather this pandemic? Will I get them sick? Will I be responsible for their deaths? Will my 9-year-old son become depressed because he can no longer play hockey or football? How will my 13-year-old handle feeling emotionally isolated because she can no longer hang out with her friends? All of these worries plagued my mind and made my body stiff, my neck sore, my mood heavy with stress. My family soon found ourselves in a new routine. We spent more quality time together since we were no longer rushing to get to activities. There was more time for dinner and meaningful conversation. However, there was still a heaviness, and everything seemed to be wrapped in a layer of anxiety. An unexpected text from my sister-in-law (who is an animal control officer) changed our lives. A darling 3-year-old black and white miniature poodle had just been dropped off at the shelter. Her elderly owner had died of COVID-19, and this sweet dog needed a home. After a quick family meeting, it was unanimous; we wanted the dog! Gia immediately became more than a pet; she became a source of comfort and calm to me. With a sweet temperament, she always seemed to know when I was full of anxiety. Each night I would sit on the couch watching the nightly news, my body tight and sore, the rigidness seeping into my muscles that comes with prolonged stress. Unaware at first that I was even doing it, I would reach for Gia, who would lay close to me, and begin stroking her fur. Often, her silky pink tongue would lick my hand, and the combination soothed and relaxed my body. Even as worry began to swirl in my mind, the questions continuing: when will it be our turn to catch this virus? Will I have lasting effects from it? Gia was there, her warm body lying beside mine, her soft fur between my fingers relaxing my body and easing my mind. During this COVID-19 pandemic, I had read that almost all the rescue dogs had been adopted across the nation. I guess I was not the only person in need of emotional comfort during this isolating time. This pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone I know. I feel so grateful that Gia came into our lives during this pandemic. This sweet dog has become more than a pet. She has become an emotional support dog for my daughter when she is lonely and a physical companion for my son when he needs to run crazy through the house. Gia is there when my nerves are frazzled from worry about the pandemic. She gently lays her warm body next to mine, as if knowing I need her near me to ease my anxiety. I stroke her soft fur, close my eyes, and remind myself to BREATHE.
• 
  2020-06-16T12:12:08

  The Quarantine Life

  Tiktok has made a pretty big impact on my life throughout quarantine and my junior year. I got to watch videos and see new trends everyday. Whenever I was feeling down or bored I would resort to tiktok as an escape. I think seeing videos on cooking, music, etc. really helped changed my perspective of life and influenced me into cooking and listening to new music. Although, junior year so far has been difficult and stressful, Tiktok is still my escape from all the piled up school work and to feel like I am connected with the world.
• 
  2021-01-21

  How We Lost the Summer

  I used a meme for an item to describe my Quarantine and I thought it was a good example of what quarantine was like for me since I don’t like showing others especially my parents that I’m having a hard time even when I’m really stressed about so many things at once. 2020 in five words is boring because nothing new was going on since we had to quarantine, lonely because I couldn’t hang out with my friends, slow because every day was pretty much the same and it felt like it wasn’t going to end, different as well as frustrating because we had to learn in a new way and it’s not something that I’m really comfortable with especially with our wifi sometimes being really slow so it makes the meeting laggy. The holidays were barely any different from a regular day except for the fact that there was more food and on Christmas, we had gifts to give and receive. My workspace isn’t really much, just a desk with my school books and binders on the side, my computer in the middle, and a snack for the day in front of my black table lamp on the other side with my school supplies in the drawer. Three things I would include in a quarantine survival kit is my phone/book so I have something to entertain myself with, fuzzy blankets since they’re really soft and I like being cocooned in it and lastly is a bunch of boxes filled with snacks since I like to eat when I watch or read something.
• 
  2020-01-14

  A Peppermint December

  December was the most stressful month of the year. My entire family got Covid-19 right before Christmas and I was struggling with anxiety for most of the month, which has been compounded by the pandemic. One of the ways I've sought to alleviate stress when going to bed at night is by putting peppermint essential oil in an oil diffuser as I fall asleep. Peppermint smells and feels naturally calming to me. The strong and comforting scent has at times made me feel that I can breathe better and easier. A small and perhaps cliché remedy has at times made a world of difference.
• 
  2021-01-14

  THE SAGA OF THE CORONIALS

  Corornials. Pandemikids. Just a few hours old and they already bear a generational hashtag. Having a baby is stressful, but having a baby during a pandemic and delivering that child in a COVID-infested hospital when your state is at critical ICU levels does nothing to ease new parents' stress levels. My tiny grandperson was born under these circumstances and my daughter spent almost the entirety of her pregnancy in a pandemically-constricted world. She went to all her OB appointments alone (no husbands allowed), could never socialize with her friends unless they were outside and 8 feet apart, and, of course, a virtual baby shower. A week before her baby was due she was told she could not have her doula with her at the hospital. This was the person she trusted the most and had worked with for months, so a decision was made to deliver at home with a midwife. That seemed slightly safer than a COVID-filled hospital anyway. But after 30 hours of labor, that plan was abandoned. A 25-minute drive to a hospital that would allow her doula to stay with her ended with a C-section several hours later, followed by a too- early discharge 2 days later. These new mothers (and fathers) have had an experience that deserves memorializing. And city dwellers bear an ever greater burden. Is it safe to push the stroller in downtown LA or New York? There can be no childcare until vaccines have been distributed. The cohort of heroic coronial parents are going to have unbelievable tales to bore THEIR children with—the Herculean hoops they jumped through—when the miasma of the virus finally goes poof. And what of the pandemikids? Will this unite them as are millennials and baby boomers? It will be an interesting project for a sociologist in a few decades. But right now, ignorance is bliss and most adults would be happy to have the memory of this year erased forever. Too bad I am not a coronial.
• 2021-01-07

  My Covid Christmas

  Don't get me started on Christmas. It was good but... stressful. It's a tradition for my family to go to Mammoth Mountain to ski and snowboard for the week of Christmas. It's always so so so much fun with all the snow but this year there was barely any snow! We thought cause of covid not so many people would be there and with there being little snow but THERE WAS A GOOD PLENTY OF PEOPLE! Since everything was closed we rented a condo from a family friend of ours and we arrive to the place and we find an orange envelope taped on the door! So we get inside, unload everything, and we open the envelope thinking it was from her to us. We find papers of a fines for the owner because they previous people who rented it were too loud and I guess it wasn't the first time it happened. People reported her condo and they ended up getting fined 1,000 dollars! It also said on another sheet of paper that she now can't have anyone renting out the condo because of traveling purposes. So, we had to stay undiscovered. We couldn't be seen by anyone that lived there because we might've gotten kicked out! So, for the rest of the week we had to stay silent. I felt like Anne Frank for Petes sake because we had to whisper. Finally when it came Christmas Day, we opened presents and everyday we went on the slopes so it was worth it in the end.
• 2020-12-17

  My Experience With Lockdown

  The biggest challenge I faced with corona was not being able to see people or do anything. I wanted to be with friends so badly and being stuck inside my house made me crazy some days. Covid 19 was stressful for my dad because during the begging of quarantine he couldn't have his clinic or perform surgeries. This made my parents stressed about money because just bought another house and have a lot of expenses. However, there were some positives of quarantine. I got so bored I worked out and got in shape a little. I also feel like I got a lot closer with my family, even though I definitely did get tired of them. Quarantine also made me anxious and stressed. I am more of an extrovert and being with people energizes me and makes me happy, so not being able to see people definitely affected me. Quarantine also allowed me to learn new things in the kitchen and I realized that I don’t hate hikes as much as I thought I did. I also found new TV shows that I loved and we also got a cat to entertain us.
• 2020-12-17

  Online School During COVID-19

  Thursday 9/17- Overall I have mixed feelings about online learning. It’s nice to say at home, instead of going to school at 7 or 8 am. However I feel like online school is messing with my productivity. It's not fun staring at a screen for 6 hours straight sitting in the same position. Also, it feel like I;m not learning anything, school used to be about learning but now its just trying to pass the classes and turn work in on time. Additionally, some teachers (not you, or all teachers) are giving us a lot of work. Since this whole online learning is new, it's still hard to adjust to it. When we don't finish classwork during class, we have to finish it for homework, which also adds on to our work load. It's difficult to soak in the information during online lectures or lessons because it's sometimes hard to focus at home. I tend to view my home as a place to relax and outside of my house is where i get work done, but constantly being stuck in one room doing 6 hours of classes and at least 4 hours to do homework is not good for my mental or physical health. On the other hand, i'm not really the type of person who likes to be in social setting, so online learning is somewhat nice. My procrastination has gotten much worse because I get too overwhelmed to start homework i just push it off and i have no motivation left to do any homework or assignments anymore. There also is a lot of stress when it comes to technical difficulties. Sometimes the wifi goes down, or the computer jams which causes u to be late or marked tardy. It's also really confusing for homework due dates and grades.
• 2020-12-13

  Online Learning during Covid

  In March of 2020, My school Oaks christian was shut down and moved to online because of Covid-19. At first I was extremely excited for this and thought it would be just an easy two weeks of doing online work. It was very nice and a good break to have for the time being and I did really enjoy it, I was so relaxed by it and took off a lot of stress. After 2 months that changed fast. It went from all fun and easy then to more work than I have ever done, I was extremely overwhelmed and had to do so many things and I hated it. Lucky summer break came along and I was finally stress free, That was until the school year of 2020 came up and now I am more stressed than ever. I am a eighth grader that's getting assigned high school level work at a much higher than average work load, I do hope this gets better but this is truly hard to get through.
• 
  2020

  Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19

  The University of Toronto has developed a free course entitled Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19, in order to equip Canadians with tools to manage our mental health, before it manages you. The course is designed to teach students about anxiety as it presents itself throughout our daily life, from the consumption of news, to the way it is discussed with our children. Understanding how our brains react to crises, students would be more prepared to manage their own mental health.
• 
  2020-07

  Mental Health in Canada: Covid-19 and Beyond

  Mental health is health, this report shows the pandemic is both magnifying and contributing to Canada's mental health crisis. COVID-19 took a toll on the populations mental health, and we are expecting long term mental health effects to burden Canadians. The CAMH demands the government and policy makers step up and make mental health a priority by investing in long-term, system wide response.
• 
  2020-06-06

  Stress in Long-Term Care

  An article from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about stress and overwork in healthcare workers who have been redeployed into long-term care homes
• 
  2020

  Wellness Support Line

  The demands of the pandemic are having a serious impact on the emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing of healthcare workers across the country. The Canadian Medical Association wishes to support frontline workers by providing them with access to a Wellness Support Line to ensure they have high-quality and tailored mental health services for all their needs.
• 2020-12-01

  Having a Baby in a Pandemic

  Having a baby is always a joyful, if not stressful, time, and having a baby in the middle of a global pandemic simply amplifies both of these emotions. My son was born on September 30, 2020, which means we found out about the pregnancy at the same time we found out about the COVID-19 global pandemic. Going through the initial lockdown, all of the information and misinformation, while knowing that we had a baby on the way made everything that much scarier. The joyful part came when he was born, a couple of weeks early, but a totally healthy baby boy. The joy of a new baby joining the family allowed us to take a break from the daily grind of living through a pandemic. And while no one was able to visit at the hospital, or meet him until quarantining for 14 days, and all had to hold him while wearing a mask, the joy definitely outweighed the stress. Our covid baby, and the journey to him joining our family, will be a bright spot in our family in an otherwise very dark year.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Twenty One Pilots one of the first to release a song during lockdown, “Level of Concern”, to help relieve anxiety

  I think this item is really interesting, and it does fill an archival silence, about musicians and what they did in lockdown- if they stopped producing music, if they were even more eager to, etc. I first heard this song in the lockdown, and it made me feel like I was connected to the band- he was singing about the same things I was experiencing, I realized everyone was going through similar things in quarantine. I had never thought about what musicians and singers were doing, for some reason I thought their lives didn’t change much, but they did. I thought it was really cool Twenty One Pilots saw that people were down, stressed, etc. and wanted to relieve some stress with a song about the pandemic.
• 
  2020-03-19

  Online Courses to Help with Anxiety Amidst the Pandemic

  During the pandemic, I was an intern at a nonprofit, LEAD Inc., where we created online courses and webinars that give people tips and tricks to dealing with anxiety, working from home, and things to do during the pandemic. I think this item amplifies the voices of a marginalized group, people who struggle with anxiety already, and who struggled even more during the pandemic. It is also a great example of a small non-profit who took an advantage of the pandemic, and worked to try to help people during an unprecedented time. A lot of items I found were just things people did during the pandemic to pass the time, but at LEAD, we actually put together an online course to inform and help people who struggle with the anxiety of uncertainty, and we give lots of information and tips in the course.
• 
  2020-12-09T17:33

  First Year of Marriage and the Pandemic

  I got married on May 11, 2019. There were no masks and no need to distance from each other. In July 2019, I got my first job working for my grandma as her caretaker. Since I had graduated ASU, I didn't have much going on, and I needed some way to occupy myself, as well as make money. I did things such as picking the oranges that would fall from the trees in her backyard and trash them so the area would look nicer. I cooked, I cleaned, and I assisted her in computer tasks that she didn't understand how to do. In December of 2019, my grandma had a few unfortunate things happen to her. First, she got pneumonia and had to be taken to the emergency room. She survived, but was weak. Later on, she ended up falling, and was then taken to a care center so that she could regain her strength and do physical therapy. When my grandma came back from the care center in January, I had a new job. Learning from what the physical therapist taught me, I used the exercise recommendations for her and helped her walk better again. It was no easy task, as my grandma can be quite stubborn, but luckily, she was willing to take direction from me in order to move around easier. We have been doing the physical therapy as part of her daily routine ever since. Due to my grandma's worsening condition, my mom and dad decided to move to my grandma's house in January, leaving the apartment mostly to me and my husband. This change was greatly welcomed, and it felt like we could experience married life without my family intervening nearly as much. Overall, January was a pretty good month for me and my husband. One of the biggest events that happened to me before the virus was the death of one of my cousins. On February 11, 2020, he commit suicide. It was a jarring experience. He had lived nearby with his wife and kid and helped install new electrical outlets in the apartment me and my husband were sharing with my parents until a new apartment opened in that same complex. Despite this, we were able to have a normal funeral, which was nice since it gave me some closure. I mostly felt bad for his wife and kid he left behind, since they would now have to figure out how to continue without him. By the time February hit, I was well aware of the virus by this time, but I was sure that majority of the problem was in China. Earlier that month, I had gone to the Dominican Republic to do some volunteer work, as I knew how to speak Spanish. I noticed travel restrictions to and from China at that time, and thought that the travel restrictions could help. This is why I mostly thought the pandemic was mostly China's problem. This idea was quickly changed when March hit. When March 2020 hit and there was a declaration of national emergency, I was very stressed by it. I kept on having images flash in my head of empty grocery aisles that I've seen from social media. Due to the panic that had occurred over the national emergency declaration, the grocery store in my area was completely out of eggs, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer, and the meat aisle was nearly emptied. There were rations on the amount of canned goods you could get. Me and my husband were able to grab a few, some of which my husband said were the "good ones that no one wanted". After that, my anxiety lessened and I felt like I could handle it. I was wrong, as I was not expecting full lockdowns later that month. By the time April came along, the lockdowns felt so severe to me that I couldn't escape anywhere. Bedsides my husband having to comfort me, one of the only things keeping me sane was the job of working for my grandma. I became even more thankful for that job since had I gotten a job in the service industry, or even a basic office job, I would have likely been let go due to being too new. Additionally, I was working full-time for a while, so money wasn't as much of an issue for me as it was before I had gotten the job. April was also when I had one of my worst anxiety attacks, and so to help me, my husband took me out to get some fast food and eat in a parking lot in order to not feel so enclosed. March felt similar to April. The big difference here though was that my brother had to come back from his LDS Church mission six months earlier due to the pandemic, so we ended up having someone new to live with when he got back. One of the nice things my family did, since church services were changed due to the virus, was having by brother bless the sacrament, as he had the authority to do so. By dressing for church and having it at my grandma's home, I was able to feel a bit more normal again, which helped me reduce my anxiety. When May hit, it was me and my husband's one year anniversary. For this special occasion, I booked an Italian restaurant and were able to dine-in for the first time in months. As more places started to open up, I felt my anxiety decrease, as I knew I could enjoy more things again. I am now writing this all in December 2020. The endless monotony of living without as many places to go has made this year feel like both the longest and shortest year that I have experienced. I know that things will change and things will go back to normal, and that is one of the things that is keeping me happy. My anxiety is the worst it has ever been this year due to the restrictions on everyday life, but I've learned that I can live through it, with the help of my husband. This was a trying year for many people's marriages, and to have this experience within the first year of marriage has made me realize how much I depend on my husband, but also that we can get through many tough things together.
• 2020-12-01

  I've Taken the COVID-19 Test Twice in as Many Months

  I have always gotten sick during the fall semester; it's just how my immune system has always been with my allergies and all of the normal sicknesses that go around this time of year. This year the fall semester and my normal sicknesses during it have been a source of stress for me on top of my classes. I am currently attending Florida Gulf Coast University and we have to fill out a daily health screening app that puts case investigators in contact with us if we report any symptom that might be related to COVID-19. This semester I have been in contact with case investigators twice. The first time was sometime around October 26 when I got my first COVID-19 test. I had a cough, a sore throat, and was experiencing fatigue but no fever. Just to be sure, I scheduled a test at a local CVS. The test at CVS you have to administer yourself and was unpleasant to say the least. My results came back negative on October 29, I told my case investigator, and returned to class. I missed my zoom class that Monday as well as my on-campus class that Tuesday. The following month, I developed a fever that reached 103.8 at its highest but I had no other symptoms except a cough after my fever passed. I tested on November 17 at another local CVS. It was the same self-administered test. I attended my class the Monday before, my temperature during which was between 102.8 and 103. I missed my class that Tuesday and got my results on November 20. It was once again negative, and I was able to return to my on-campus classes once my cough stopped. Like many other students, this pandemic has interrupted my normal school life and has added stress to an already stressful semester. In addition to this, not being able to attend class while I was waiting on my test results like has impacted my grades though I would not have attended those classes anyway if I were allowed to while waiting on my results.
• 
  11/20/2020

  Briana Quintanilla Oral History, 2020/11/20

  In this interview, I, Hailey, interview Briana who is an international student in London, UK. She talks about how her coping mechanisms for dealing with stress, anxiety and sadness have shifted due to COVID and the nature of the virus. She gives some great tips for staying mentally healthy during such a tough time, especially for international students, or student very far from family.
• 2020-11

  Journal Entry: Thoughts on the first semester of grad school.

  This is less of an entry and more of a summary of how my year has gone? I'm trying to write without too much filter, to really capture the raw emotions of the pandemic. It's been a weird, and rough semester. A positive is that due to the pandemic, I was able to get into a school I had been interested in for quite a while. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get in, but I had a much better chance of doing so, than I did before when online classes weren't offered for my major. I did get in, at the last minute and picked my classes the day before the semester started! I needed a laptop, which were certainly in short supply, but luckily there were some available. When my laptop was stolen, and a webcam was a more immediate option for an older computer, that was more difficult to obtain. I hadn't even considered that they were in short supply but almost every cheap to middle priced webcam were sold out. I definitely didn't think this is what my first semester of graduate school would be like when I started. One class ended in a project showcase that felt far differently than it would have had we been able to present in person. Juggling the semester and also working at night was certainly not something I expected to be doing. During the nights we (my coworkers and I) would be frantically trying to stock canned goods, paper goods, and other items in high demand, just to watch it all be bought within 30 minutes of the store opening for the day. This is also on top of trying to run the store normally. It was very surreal to go in and see shelf after shelf empty and ransacked, as if a hurricane was on the way. All in all, I'm not thankful for the pandemic, but being able to find positives, and to be grateful for the opportunities afforded me is healthier than focusing on the negatives.
• 
  2020-06-10

  Sweet Treats

  My friend Maddie sent me this selfie of her getting some churros during quarantine. We used to always go get churro's together but many places have been closed. She found a food truck that sells churro's and she decided to go get it as it requires minimal contact with people and allows for social distancing! Like me, she uses food (specifically sweets) to help with stress and anxiety! She described the change during COVID, "Before COVID one of my coping mechanisms for when I’m stressed was to go get something sweet to eat. But I had to adjust that, and now I get something sweet to-go and sit in my car while I listen to music."
• 
  2020-03

  A Pass for the Lockdown

  This is an important submission to me, because it was a weird way for me to feel like more than just a simple grocery clerk, but also I felt more heavily the weight of the whole COVID pandemic. I was given this letter by my store manager at Kroger, back in late March I believe, when the city was placed under a lockdown. It was in the event any employee, on their way to work, was pulled over and asked why they were out driving during a lockdown. It makes me proud, in a way, to ensure that people still are able to shop, but it's also scary because, well people still come to shop for groceries. I haven't kept it in my car since the lockdown lifted, but I am concerned I will need it again, with the rise of cases.
• 
  2020-11

  What Keeps Me Sane

  Between working in a grocery store, and doing class work, I find myself busy and often stressed. I am lucky enough to have a partner, two cats and other luxuries that help me relax and relieve my anxieties. I included an older picture of myself and my partner, my switch, and my cats Wobbles (grey) and Jade (black). Having these distractions in my life have definitely made the pandemic a little more manageable. These things, along with my partner, help me count my blessings and appreciate what I have and have been able to hold on to during these anxious and stressful times.
• 
  2020-08-11

  Out of Lockdown and Sadness, Joy and Hope Spring Eternal

  The oldest screenshot in this collection is from July of 2019, when my initial inquiry into attendance at St. Mary's University began. I was initially disappointed because I am located in Houston, St. Mary's is obviously in San Antonio, and they did not, at the time, offer online degree plans. In August I received an e-mail about the Public History scholarship program, which also announced the university's plan to have remote learning programs for this Master's program. I was ecstatic; I applied, and was accepted just in time for the semester to start. I received an informal acceptance in an e-mail from the program director, Dr. Wieck, and then a more formal one from the Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. These screen shots mean a lot to me, as I was very interested in St. Mary's as the college for my Master's, even though it wasn't ideal location wise, it seemed like one of the more thorough and dedicated programs in Texas. I was disappointed at first when I first was told I there weren't online classes, and didn't think much about that specific program for a bit afterwards. With the craziness of the pandemic sweeping over the country, I decided what the heck, picked up a GRE study book and began the process of studying, to apply to a closer university when I got the e-mail about the scholarship and remote learning classes. Being able to "attend" my preferred school has been a welcome surprise amidst constant weeks and months of bad news, stress, and anxiety. It has been a wild ride, given the short time between my application and admittance, when I wasn't sure I'd be admitted to the program in the first place. However, I'm rather pleased to be going pursuing this dream, and trying to learn from my mistakes daily.
• 
  2020-11-12

  "How the pandemic got people smoking again" - Vox

  With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been pressured to develop bad habits such as overeating, alcoholism, doom scrolling, and impulse shopping. But one pandemic indulgence that stands out to medical officials and journalists is smoking, which damages lungs and puts one at an increased risk from dying of COVID-19. In an article for Vox, journalist Melinda Fakuade provides readers with an overview of the reasons why more people have taken up smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic in spite of the increased risk of death. According to Fakuade, a major factor that explains the increased prevalence of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic is the sheer boredom that comes with being unable to leave home without risking contracting COVID-19. Not being able to leave home and spend money on other amenities also increases one's access to discretionary spending, which can be used to fund cigarette smoking and other bad habits. Fakuade also emphasizes the role of stress, which induces people to take up bad habits such as smoking as a coping mechanism. According to her, smoking functions as a way of maintaining a routine and sense of control in a time of extreme instability. Finally, Fakuade considers whether or not the increased prevalence of smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a reflection of an internal "death wish," on the part of smokers.
• 
  2020-11-06

  The Effects of Covid-19 on both a student and teacher

  In this video, I interview a former high school teacher of mine and I ask her questions about experiences she's had while battling this pandemic. I believe she's also attending Brooklyn College Graduate (Law) school.
• 
  2020-10

  Pets, the Unsung Heroes: Grad School in Quarantine

  I don't know where I would be without my cats, Alvin and Cornelia. This year as been stressful on all of us, people dying, not being able to leave the house, unemployment, schoolwork, the list goes on and on. Without them and their cute, furry faces I'm sure I would have broken down a lot more often than I already have. Alvin (orange) is about 4 years old and is the most talkative cat I know, he's always meowing at us for pets and love. Cornelia (brown) is incredibly anxious, but that doesn't stop her from demanding cuddles when we're about to go to bed. They are a constant in my life, something I am so incredibly grateful for. They don't even know how they make my life better, they just offer the love and want some in return. They are truly the unsung heroes of this pandemic, at least for me.
• 
  2020-05

  Feeling Bad about Feeling Proud: Grad School in Quarantine

  A lot of people tell you about imposter syndrome when you enter graduate school. I certainly have experienced that, most of the time I'm afraid that someone is going to realize that I don't have any idea what I'm talking about and kick me out. However, I never really heard about not being able to feel proud of the work you have accomplished. I look at the work that my classmates are doing and I often feel as though I am nowhere near as qualified as they are. It doesn't matter what I've done in the past I don't feel like I measure up. That's why I have my undergraduate degree on the wall right by my desk. If I get to feeling bad about myself, feeling afraid to be proud of myself, I look at my diploma and realize that I have done things a younger me wouldn't have dreamed of. It's okay if you aren't the smartest person in the world. You're allowed to feel proud of yourself, I hope that this reminder helps me when I need it most.
• 2020-11-06

  The Faculty Perspective

  Both of my parents are teachers, one working as a fourth grade teaching assistant and the other an eighth grade math teacher/soccer coach. Though I have left home, and started my first semester of college, I have heard their rants, their grievances, and complaints regarding the ways in which the school system is "taking care" of their faculty. My mother and father are both paranoid about the coronavirus, rightfully so, however they were told they must return to the classroom to teach students in person. While there are rules and restrictions in order to carry out this plan safely, there is only so much they can do. Take my mother's fourth graders for example, they don't understand the concept of a pandemic or the need to socially distance. She must enforce rules upon these kids that they don't see as necessary and, more often than not, choose not to follow. This makes my mother, and teachers in general, feel as though their safety is not a priority and as if they are not being thought of by the school's administration. The same can be said for my father. Though his eighth graders may have a better grasp of the new restrictions, his soccer season was a mess. Socially distanced, masked, and with only three games total, it simply did not make any sense. What appears to be happening is the school is choosing to cater to students' parents' wishes, to obviously provide their children with as close to a normal schooling experience as possible; however, by doing so, they are ignoring the comfortability and safety of their teachers by placing them back in the classroom.
• 
  2020-10-14

  The kids aren't all right: COVID-19-fueled stress eating, inequities, lack of fitness expected to boost obesity, experts say

  Social distance and virtual learning have taken a toll on children with many turning to stress eating for comfort. Additionally, children from lower-income households are at high risk for obesity due to usually having to rely on cheaper, lower quality food. These factors, coupled with lack of exercise, had led to a small uptick in childhood obesity cases, with more expected to come, during COVID-19.
• 
  2020-07-27

  Going to College During COVID-19: Tips for College Students and Their Parents

  In this interview with infectious disease specialist Cynthia Snider and clinical psychologist David Gutterman, they outline some tips for navigating college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair outlines important issues like wearing a mask, social distancing, and proper hygiene. This interview also touches on the anxiety and uneasy feelings both parents and students are feeling going back to a crowded campus. All in all, it’s important to listen to oneself and keep a line of open communication, as well as stay safe and stay healthy. If everyone follows these guidelines, these two experts feel that universities should be able to allow students safely.
• 
  2020-09-08

  Waiting for an Elevator

  This video is a representation of how hard COVID has made life for college students, but more importantly, it is a representation of the students' willingness to cooperate and work with each other to make situations flow as smoothly as possible. As first-year college students, we were all incredibly overwhelmed and stressed out by entering a new chapter of our lives, in an entirely new setting that we weren’t used to. In essence, we were thrown into a mess that we didn’t know the outcome of. In fact, we still don’t know the outcome of it. In fact, before the pandemic happened, we all thought we were going to Greece, Hungary, or New Zealand for our study abroad Nuin program. Instead, our options slowly changed to Canada, Ireland, and London, and then eventually dwindled down to Boston or Dublin. This resulted in not only disappointment but a sense of unease for our first semester as college students. We ended up being housed at a local hotel about a mile away from campus. And although none of us liked the rules Northeastern University set for us, regarding guests, partying, and common spaces, we all understood that this was not only to keep us safe but to keep the city of Boston safe as well. I think it’s easy for college students, particularly Northeastern Students, to forget that we are living in a pandemic with serious consequences to the community. Us students are fortunate enough to be getting tested every three days, giving us a blanket of security that ensures we don’t have the virus. But it’s easy to forget that we live in a metropolitan area where others aren’t getting tested. Therefore, if we end up spreading it to other members of the community, we know within three days, but other people within the community don’t. Hence the importance of continuing to maintain social distancing and mask-wearing. This video is one of the hallmark moments of Nuin students maintaining these ideas and bringing a sense of awareness to the community. Because we live in a hotel, there are other guests that are usually spending the weekend in the hotel, and therefore we do interact with visitors frequently. In one such instance, the elevators were backed up in the building, as it was peak “rush hour” and two of the elevators were broken, and there were only 4 people per elevator. This video shows that even without tape on the floor to guide people to stand six feet apart, they did. Even though students could have easily broken rules and gotten into large groups into the elevators, they didn’t. Nuin Boston came together as a community, not only through painting social distancing but upholding the mentality that we should all look out for each other and put others’ needs before our own. I think many people have a lot of negative things to say about the COVID pandemic, which is understandable for many reasons. Even the first thing someone will find when they look up Nuin Boston is a story of how 11 students got kicked out even before classes started. But there will always be outliers. There will always be those that don’t care about others, that will continue to break rules regardless of their consequences. But it is the students and members of the community that care about the well-being of others that will continue to make a positive impact.
• 
  2020-11-01

  The mental health toll of COVID-19

  The stress and isolation caused by COVID-19 have had adverse effects on people. Many of those with mental health issues have seen their conditions while others are suffering from heightened stress. Mental health clinics have seen an increased demand that has led to week-long wait times and minorities are having a harder time getting help.
• 2020-10-30

  Playing Xbox Through Covid

  As we all know it Covid has taken over the entire world including my hometown Boston. With the disease being easily spreadable there are many precautions and restrictions put in place to keep the city and surrounding areas safe from contracting and spreading the disease. I myself was not left with much to do during this time so I knew that I needed to come up with some sort of hoppy or activity to keep me occupied. I decided to buy a Xbox to fulfill my needs so I would not be left with nothing to do while hanging out in my dorm or bedroom. Playing xbox provided me with a virtual place that I was am able to escape to while being quarantined in my certain location, as well it took my mind off the implications and surround stress of covid. I am also able to travel with the xbox, taking it from place to place during the pandemic so that I would not ever find myself bored and stressed with nothing to do
• 
  2020-04-15

  Painting in Quarantine

  During quarantine, we were all very bored and going a little stir crazy. One day, I really wanted to get into painting because it is relaxing for me, and it takes up a lot of time. This is important to me because it was something during lockdown that made me feel relaxed and calm. It was a stressful time for everyone, and we all had to find hobbies that would keep us busy. I think that is what this says about the pandemic, we had to find these little things to keep us going throughout the long days stuck inside, and painting really helped me do that.
• 2020-10-27

  Senses Throughout the Covid Experience

  I remember the intercom on March 13th telling the students “School will be out for two weeks due to the Coronavirus.” At first, this was awesome, we got time off school with no homework!! But then the break never stopped and school never resumed to what it used to be. Being quarantined went from days, to weeks, to months, and hasn’t stopped yet. We barely finished the school year online and thought we would go back at the start of next year. Oh were we wrong! All we see is the computer screen! We were quarantined for another 3 months and proceeded to do the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year online. Hopefully we get to go back to school next semester. We will be able to talk to one another and get out of the boring home. This virus has blocked us from our homecoming, football season, sports, hanging out with friends, celebrating holidays, socializing at school, and seeing family. Instead, we are on the computer for 5-6 hours a day either in zoom meetings or doing homework. We now can’t touch everything, talk to who we used to, and taste all of the diverse foods we would go out and have. It isn’t healthy! We need to go back to school next semester even if it is hybrid. This pandemic has taken a toll on everyone and we need to get through this together.
• 
  2020-05-01

  What I did During Lockdown

  During the Covid pandemic lockdown was starting to ramp up and my manager came through the hospital with sheets that basically were to be shown to police or someone who would stop me from driving on the highway, or roads while going to work. This paper stated that I was an essential employee of the UNC hospitals, and that I had permission to leave my house. However many people were not allowed to go to work because their buildings were shut down and local government were not allowing businesses to operate. Some of my friends were let go, my sister was furloughed, and my roommates had to work from home. I never realized that the sheer boredom started to get to people. One of my friends had to take medication for anxiety because not being able to go to work or do anything social was becoming too stressful. While I worked a full 40 hours every week, I found that I had my weekends that I filled with classic films, new TV shows and all types of social media. Cleaning the house every weekend was part of my weekend routine because there was no where else I really felt like being, and seeing the whole hospital cleaned up I started finding things to clean around the house. Within a few weeks I began going to the local lake, Falls lake and would take long walks around it or just sit and watch the sunset, during the later part of the summer I went to photograph the sand storms from Africa that made the sunsets spectacular. While many people had to make things up and go back and forth between work and boredom and being in the same environment all the time, I was given the luxury to see the weekend in a whole new way. With the coming of the summer at the time people were expecting to have a summer hopefully and as can be seen in this video from Wral planning on having outdoor time that they could go about in the old social environments, such as the mall or local shops.
• 2020-10-18

  The Summer of Stress

  In the days following my graduation from community college in 2015, I fulfilled my lifelong pursuit of procrastination and let my apartment lease run out without securing a new residence. The two weeks of couch surfing and car sleeping which followed surely taught me a lesson in preparedness. I never thought I would be in a situation where I would lose my job and home. in 2015, I still had a job. I had friends who could take me in and help me re-establish; it is easier to continue work and remain healthy when sleeping indoors and enjoying hot showers daily. But in 2020, the story is different. My friends could still take me in; many urged me to. But the pandemic put a weight on my mind that I was not safe to stay with my friends; and I couldn't stay with one friend for a long time (and therefore minimize new contact). I am incredibly afraid that I could harm my friends' families because of the pandemic. Then my job as a cashier at a 7-Eleven by the Orange County Airport was lost because the travel and traffic in the airport area dropped drastically as lockdowns and travel restrictions began; many stores in the area closed. I waited all of summer before I applied for assistance. I kept thinking it would be like the two weeks in 2015; but this was not just my own negligence as a procrastinator, this was my own fault compounded by the pandemic. As the method of my hygiene (24 Hour Fitness) closed, I truly felt the weight of stress on my mind. No more daily hot showers. Luckily my mobile residence, my car, allows me to sleep near the cold showers of the beach. Luckily the YMCA has begun phased re-opening, and I began showering there end of September when I could afford the membership. I am still without a job, and without a permanent residence. It was impossible to manage what money I still have, because eating as a homeless person is not cheap; hot food costs far more money than grocery bought. I had to use my friend's address to even get EBT/food stamps; this is why the homeless folk who are less fortunate than me, who no longer have friends pursuing their safety with them, suffer. There is no address for EBT to send them the food stamps, or they as people in need simply have no friends who can help them shoulder the stress of bad fortune and extreme circumstances.
• 
  2020-10-16

  Stress and hair loss

  I’ve felt a lot more stressed since my daughter started school this fall. I’ve also noticed that when I take a shower, hair washes out with each wash. Losing some hair seems normal, but it’s felt like a lot of hair lately, or at least a lot more hair than should fall out. It’s a really subjective measurement, but let’s just say it’s more than normal based on the past 15 years. I’ve been wondering if I should just shave my whole head and start over? Not in a midlife crisis sort of way, but just to start over with healthy hair and more vitamins. I was on FB reading posts in a mom group I’m in. This particular group is for moms who had babies in 2018. I read a post today that talked about stress and hair loss, and I thought…yes…I’m going through something similar. I’m losing hair every day, but I can’t even stop to deal with it, because honestly, I don’t want to deal with one.more.thing. I’d rather just ignore this thing and hope it goes away.
• 
  2020-10-15

  Golf Industry Goes Full-Swing

  Working in a golf shop at a golf course obviously has its peak times, the busy times being in the summer and the downtime being in the winter, especially in Utah. Winters in Utah can get especially brutal, so as golfers, when February and March come around, we all get pretty excited as the new golf season approaches. However, none of us knew what was to come in February as we started preparing for the upcoming 2020 golf season. As the virus began to spread through the nation, and various states started reporting cases of COVID-19, we knew it was only a matter of time until it reached Utah, and specifically Cache Valley. As the virus reached Utah, many schools and businesses were shutting down, thereby forcing people indoors. Due to the fact that golf is played outdoors, our mayor suggested we stay open, but with heavy precautions and changes to the overall operation in order to ensure the safety of players. These precautions included raised golf cups to keep people from touching the same golf hole (picture attached), tee time slots being placed in larger time increments in order to keep everyone spaced out, players riding in carts individually, and online reservations being suggested so as to remove people from going inside to the only point of contact in the golf experience. As a result of these precautions, we were able to remain open for business to allow players a chance to escape from their homes, and because of this, the golf course saw record numbers. Tee times were spaced out, which meant that instead of a group of golfers teeing off every 7 minutes, we made it every 10 minutes. Despite this change, we saw groups of golfers literally tee off every 10 minutes, from 6:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. on most days! As the national shutdown continued, it only gave people more of a reason to select outdoor activities in order to escape the house, and it only increased the desire for most to try golf. The phones in the shop were off the hook nonstop as people called inquiring about potential open slots for them to tee off. Most calls were unsuccessful, as we found ourselves booked out days, and sometimes a week or more, in advance! This year was a strange year in many ways, filled with sadness, anxiety, and lots of stress. As an employee in the golf industry, unlike most businesses in the COVID-19 pandemic, I actually saw a dramatic rise in time spent at work, and I consider myself very fortunate for that, as many struggled regarding employment. The golf industry exploded this summer, and with the special precautions that were taken in order to ensure the safety of the players as much as possible, many people took advantage of the possible outdoor activity, and used golf as an escape from the stresses of their lives. Many...including myself.
• 
  2020-10-14

  What I Wish I'd Known Seven Months Ago

  I wrote this essay to help make sense of my feelings and experiences during the pandemic.
• 
  2020-10-12

  Loud noises and Quiet Cooking

  There are two things that have marked this pandemic for me: sound and smell. He sounds of slammed doors from a very bored, angry, unsure ten-year-old boy and the smell of my late-night cooking. As a 10-year-old, he felt set adrift, when schools closed, and he couldn’t go play with his friends and they couldn’t come here. How do you explain the concept of pandemic to a kid without scaring the crap out of them? Because he was slamming the door to his room almost anytime he was spoken to, the dogs, of course, had something to say about it, because, well, they’re dogs. So, most of the day, there was slamming doors, constant barking, yelling (him), more yelling (me), crying (mostly me) and just really wanting some peace. So, I began to cook. Stock, one of the first things I learned in culinary school. Tomato sauce. Pasta. Cookies. Bread, and no, I didn’t get on the sour dough band wagon. And I would do this late at night. When it was quite and cool. Filling the house with the rich smells of food. Meals that have been frozen, stock that has been frozen or canned, cookie dough stashed away to make cookies later. I could think while I cooked. It was and is, my de-stressor. The picture is of one of my creations – “Ravioli Lasagna” – basically, using fresh ravioli (this is ricotta and spinach) as your lasagna “noodle”, layered with marinara, mozzarella and sweet Italian sausage.
• 2020-07-10

  Fear of the Unknown

  Although I have been fortunate enough to say that no one in my family has contracted the virus thus far, that's not to say that it hasn't had an impact. Since the discovery of the virus, there has been an abundance of mixed information, terrifying rumors, and confusing data. There have been times when one could think there was nothing to worry about, and other times when one could feel uncomfortable leaving his/her home. Overall, the most terrifying part for me is all the things we don't know about what's going on. Along with that, is not knowing when you or a family member might have it. I'm sure we have all had our scares during this crisis, but one in particular really frightened me. My dad has been in and out of hospitals for over 5 years now, and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me and my twin sister. The most recent time he was in the hospital, he was transferred from my small hometown to a hospital here in Phoenix. In his condition, and after everything he has lived through, we knew that he would not survive if he contracted the virus. It sounds pessimistic, but if I were to go in-depth about his medical history, anyone would agree. With that being said, we were terrified about him being in a major phoenix hospital at the peak of the pandemic. Not to mention the medical facilities he would have to regularly go to after the fact. So far, he has not contracted the virus, but the stress remains present even more so than it has been in the past. Sometimes the stress and concerns that these types of disasters cause are just as impactful as the disaster itself, and COVID-19 has proved that to be true more than ever.