With the month of February coming to a close and March quickly approaching this week, a distressing realization is being brought to the forefront of everyone’s mind. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and two days later it was declared a national emergency. Since March 13th of last year, states across the country have issued stay-at-home orders and a number of Americans began quarantining themselves inside their homes. What first seemed like a month-long spring break, quickly turned into never-ending solitude. A year later and nothing much has changed in regards to the state of the country. The holiday season caused spikes in virus transmission; vaccine production rollout is delayed, and anti-maskers still exist. To say those following CDC guidelines and quarantining themselves are exhausted is an understatement.
As a current college student, I can attest to the personal challenges I have faced during quarantine and the gradual deterioration of my mental well-being. I’ve always prided myself on being self-motivated and a proficient student. I felt guilty if I wasn’t doing enough, and I felt incomplete without a routine to help me accomplish as much as I could in one day. When life slowed down for longer than I had anticipated, it felt as though I had lost control of mine. I began feeling a plethora of emotions that I, at the time, suppressed until they quite literally erupted out of me at the most random of times. It was then that I knew this pandemic had a bigger toll on my mental health than even I had realized. The anniversary of this virus approach didn’t make avoiding my feelings any easier and I recognized that this crisis wasn’t solely mine. Understanding that I wasn’t alone in feeling like I had gone stir crazy during quarantine, made me feel less alone in my internal struggle.
Seeing people reminisce about the early days of lockdown is oddly comforting, too, despite it being such a stressful and scary time. In March of 2020, a collective perception of lockdown was that there could be something to gain from time alone, seasonal depression wasn’t a factor, and as banal as it is to say, there was hope that this virus wouldn’t wreck as much immense devastation and tragedy as it currently has. It’s frustrating to know that a lot of it could have been avoided, especially if more people possessed empathy and basic human decency.
March 13th is a dreaded day for me and the many others who still continue to quarantine and abide by CDC guidelines. I’m triggered and tired, and I’m done putting my responsibilities before my mental and physical health and well-being. Pandemic burnout is very real and very debilitating. This impending anniversary isn’t really one worth celebrating. Instead, I suggest spending the anniversary of the day you started quarantine doing things that serve you.