The Effect of Quarantine on Our Mental Health

The pandemic will have a long-lasting effect on us no matter how much we try to forget about it. Having to deal with the ups and downs of a new normal disrupted the routine that we had built over the years, which can take a toll on our mental health. Stress and loneliness have been affected by the events over the past year and a half. From pre-quarantine to post-quarantine, we may find that our mental health has changed based on our experiences.

The way quarantine has affected someone depends on each individual. In a survey of ND students, about 60% of them felt that their overall mental health had declined during quarantine compared to before quarantine when their mental health was doing much better. Still, others may have felt less stressed. Quarantine gave some people time to step back and make a change in their lives. Others felt more stressed from adjusting to working online. During quarantine, 61% of students felt their stress levels rise while 14% of students felt their stress levels drop. Most students felt more stressed after quarantine than before quarantine. To combat this stress, we can keep ourselves in check by giving ourselves and each other time and space to relax. 

The way we feel about socializing may have also changed over quarantine. Before, we may have been more comfortable with talking to our friends and family. Due to the transition to online meetings, silence and breakout rooms affected comfortability and communication skills. Now that the world is coming back to in-person conversations, some may have to relearn their social skills. As they exited quarantine, only 20% of students found it easy to socialize compared to before, where 57% of students felt this way. 

Some students may have improved in areas of mental health due to quarantine. Confidence may have also increased since the pandemic has given us time to work on ourselves. We have taken care of ourselves more often by exercising or spending time with family. Whether it be face masks or watching Netflix, 78% of students have taken care of themselves at least a few times or more often over quarantine. Self-care became more common among students after quarantine.

This pandemic has become an experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We can take the negatives and positives of quarantine and share them with each other so that we can become stronger together.