It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for about a month now. I honestly didn’t think we’d be here for this long. That’s a weird thing to say, isn’t it?
As move-in day loomed closer, I couldn’t help but feeling excited and uneasy. With Northeastern’s comparatively late start, seeing how other universities were handling the reopening of their campuses during the pandemic made me reluctant in returning to my own.
However, Northeastern feels different. Because of our 3-day testing period, the enforcement of masks, and markers on campus walkways to ensure social distancing, I feel the safest I could possibly be on a college campus during a pandemic.
It’s not the same as everyone expected, though. The limitations of hybrid learning, the rise in virtual events, and the constant Zoom meetings have started to take a mental toll. My West Village A apartment has served as a classroom, hangout space for my roommates and I, and home. The fine lines between different areas of my life have become fuzzy, essentially meshing into one.
Finding new ways to escape from it all has been difficult. Whether it’s making time to workout outside or simply stepping away from my laptop for a bit, taking care of myself developed a new meaning in the confines of this new environment.
The always-lurking anxiety that you may be inappropriately dressed for a morning Zoom meeting is just a part of the new normal, but it doesn’t mean it’s all bad, it’s just different. In this huge transition and adjustment period of our lives, I think the best thing we can do is be kind to ourselves and stay grateful for what we have.