Not going to lie, this past year has been very hectic. At the beginning of March 2020, I was living on campus with my best friends living the perfect college life. By the second or third week of March, I was back home with my family and doing remote learning rather than living on campus.
This ended up taking a small toll on my mental health since I was in a completely different environment than I had been used to (especially for taking college classes). I remember how for the first couple of months after moving back, I was always upset and felt very alone. Apart from that, I ended up getting anxious/nervous whenever near a crowd or group of people. I honestly thought that my life was over since I was dealing with such issues that I never had before. After a small time of dealing with them, I knew that I needed to fix my mental health before it completely deteriorated. Here are some of the things I did.
Try keeping a conversation
This was the advice I got from my boyfriend when I told him I would get anxious/nervous around people. At first, I was just nervous interacting with lots of people, but after a while, it was also with new people. I knew that I needed to fix it since I had always been a people person and love created new relationships. My boyfriend suggested that whenever I was at work, to try and hold a conversation with a customer. Whether it be asking about their day or complimenting them, it was just about being more confident and not scared. It took me about three months but I managed to fix it and it’s 100% easier now than it was before to make new friends or even just talk to people.
Getting out of my room
While in college, I spent most of my time in my room since it was basically my home away from home. When I came back to living with my parents, I was always in my room since it was what I was used to. After about two weeks, I felt very enclosed in my room and so I began to go out to the kitchen to do my work or even outside to enjoy the sun. This helped me be happier since I didn’t necessarily feel closed off to the world since I was going outside more.
Did more self-care things
In order to be happier, I focused on myself a little more. I began to work out which was honestly very useful because I did not feel as tired throughout the day and it allowed me to be healthier. Apart from that, I did skincare which was one of the most relaxing things. While focusing on my skin, I could just relax and think about whatever mask was on my face and sometimes even took a small nap.
Checked up on friends
Lastly, I think this was one of the most beneficial things. With COVID, I had to move two hours away from where I went to college. This had some benefits and drawbacks. The drawbacks were that I could no longer see my college friends since they were far and it