With it being over a year since the Covid outbreak, businesses have shut down, schools have closed, and all have been forced to adapt to the changing circumstances. However, there has been something more dire that many have not noticed: the declining mental wellness among adolescents. The pandemic has been especially difficult for high school students like myself, who are in one of the most important phases of their life. With education needing to continue, educational institutions have made the effort to teach students virtually. For over a year, students have been attending class by staring at a screen for nearly 6 hours a day. Shekhar Saxena, professor of the practice of global mental health, states, “the physical and mental fatigue that accommodates virtual learning is drastically taking a toll on teen mental health during the pandemic.”

With teachers needing to adapt to a new learning environment, there were changes made to their style of teaching. I felt that my teachers were less present and had less authority over my education, while there was an increase in writing workloads and a decrease in class discussions. I ended up experiencing an increase of writing assignments since teachers were unable to clearly see the mastery of students’ learning through verbal interactions. The excessive amount of writing assignments often made me lose motivation, leading to procrastination. Resultantly, I was forced to become more independent and wise in managing my time. Beyond time management, the need to become more mature was present when I noticed that I was being distracted by games and youtube during class since everything schoolwork was done on my computer. As I continued to get distracted, I was left to bear the consequences of my irresponsibility and felt overwhelmed.

Additionally, with the absence of our in class interactions, teachers lost the ability to personally check on each of my classmates to see if they needed help with specific topics, and for students, raising a virtual hand on zoom in front of the entire class was not ideal. My classmate, Brad Lee, states, “I often felt uncomfortable with the attention of the entire class on me, and I felt like I wasn’t getting proper support for concepts I failed to understand.” Not having the substantial amount of support led students like Brad and myself to sacrificing more time to self study. It’s clear why learning online is much more stressful for students since teachers feel distant rather than personal.

There are also many issues regarding communication when learning takes place virtually. Classes that require cameras to be on during meetings may cause stress for those who are self conscious, and the verbal cues like eye contact, body language, and tone of voice that are present in live interactions are much more difficult to interpret on zoom, making it harder for students to digest all the information they receive. Brenda Wiederhold, a journalist for Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and clinical psychologist, states that “Zoom calls aren’t as live as we think. Due to even a millisecond of lag, the brain looks for ways to overcome the lack of synchrony, and the fatigue caused by that makes us feel anxious about our own needs.” My peer, Joshua Kim, explains an example of this as he states: “I often found myself experiencing fatigue after a conversation on zoom compared to a conversation in real life, impacting my overall performance in school.” I harbored these worries myself as I attempted to maneuver my way through an unusual system.

Coupled with the mental fatigue that students can experience by looking at a computer screen for more than six hours a day, sitting in your chair for the same amount of time can take quite a toll on your physical health. The National Headache Foundation states that increased screen time is linked to heavy anxiety and headaches, resulting in a foul or depressive mood.

Additionally, sitting can lower metabolism, compromise posture, and lead to weight gain. Students who are generally active and are wary of their appearance can suddenly feel insecure about weight gain, resulting in negative mental health. (psychologicalscience.org 2014)

Every part of my school life was changed: even lunch. Mayo Clinic deduced that people who eat a poor-quality diet - one that was high in processed sugar, fat, and empty calories - are more

likely to report symptoms of depression, anger, and anxiety. This was especially apparent during my experience during quarantine. Due to my parents working during my school hours, they were unable to prepare a hearty meal for me. Therefore, I often depended more heavily on unhealthy snacks in my pantry. Also, due to short intervals between my classes, I noticed there was insufficient time for me to fix up a healthy meal. As a result, I always ended up eating something unhealthy like Oreos, resulting in me feeling lethargic and sluggish, making me unmotivated to complete my online assignments.

I have often attempted to maintain a healthy diet but found myself constantly failing and frustrated at the end of the day. As someone who compensated my unhealthy eating with basketball, I was suddenly unable to exercise in the same way before the pandemic. This resulted in me gaining weight, causing me to feel occasionally sluggish and stressed about my weight.

While students who don’t exercise as much may feel indifferent about this, it is normal for teens who love exercising, or playing a sport, to feel extremely frustrated. It is also known that being active can reduce stress and anxiety (Peggy Pletcher, M.S., R.D., L.D., CDE), but many students are missing out on those activities since they cannot go out as much and have not gone back to participating in sports. For a long time now, we’ve missed the joy from sports.

As students saw a new school year in August of 2020, it was definitely challenging for individuals to meet new peers. When I first looked at my classes, rather than making new friends, I relied on having classes with people I was already friends with for a sturdy support system to ask questions regarding schoolwork. The lack of social interactions resulting from the absence of in person learning also led students to feeling emotions of loneliness and unhappiness. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 63% of young people experienced significant symptoms of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. The non existent social interactions played a huge part in my declining mental health during this period of transition.

With a lack of social exchange during quarantine, actively seeking social support or company could help. My peer Stephan Hahn explained to me that finding new friends online through social platforms has kept him busy during quarantine. According to Mental Health UK, striving to make positive, close, and lasting relationships even through online platforms can significantly impact moods in a positive manner, especially when feeling lonely. Additionally, being religiously active could help with lessening the impacts of bad mental health, with social support, and finding a meaning in certain experiences relieving the stress, anxiety, or loneliness resulting from online school and quarantine.

In order to help with your own mental health, there are many coping mechanisms. Cooling off to reduce the body’s tension can be achieved through meditation or relaxation. Relaxation can come through a multitude of things: breathing exercises, calm music, sleep, or practicing guided imagery. Personally, I find that guided imagery videos and calm music help me the most in finding peace. If these activities don’t work, there is also the option of aerobic exercises you could practice like walking, running, or cycling. These activities are not only helpful for your mental wellbeing, but can also lead to better sleep, which is another way to feel recharged.

Overall, the pandemic has changed many components in students’ daily lives. Heavier workloads, new responsibilities, and less social interactions are some of many reasons for an increase in stress and feelings of isolation and unhappiness. Increased hours of screen time, unhealthy diets, and the inability to effectively practice physical activities can also further exacerbate many students’ wellbeing. However, through finding new hobbies that spark even a little joy, students can lessen the negative mental impacts of online school and adapt effectively to the changing circumstances of this pandemic.

If you or anybody you know is struggling with issues regarding mental health, please utilize these resources.

Teen Line: 800-852-8336

Teen Line Text: text TEEN to 839863

Hopeline (Talk to a trained volunteer): 800-442-6673

Hopeline (Teen to Teen Peer Counseling): 877-YOUTHLINE

Mental Health America: 800-969-6642

Department of Mental Health Access Line: 1-800-854-7771

If you are hesitant to talk to anyone on these hotlines, please make sure to talk to your school counselors.

Timothy Lee/ Larchmont Charter School 12th

Lucas Jung/ N. Hollywood High 12th