Written by: Christina Totino
Written by: Christina Totino
When the Covid-19 Pandemic began at the start of March 2020, no one was aware of the long and difficult journey we were about to embark on. Self-quarantine left lasting effects on everyone because no one was allowed to leave their houses or see people outside of their homes. This created a sense of isolation throughout the world, leaving people scared of what was to come. Even though everyone had gone through self-quarantine at this period in time, not everyone had the same experience. This was a huge change of pace for everyone and something that no one was used to. Some took this time to self-reflect and isolate themselves from the negativity they felt in the world. They took this great amount of time to observe ways to better themselves and navigate their way through life, leaving a positive impact. Others were struggling to take care of themselves or family members because of the outbreak, which left them scared and hopeless. One common goal was to come out of this pandemic stronger and to look on thee positive side of a difficult time. The Covid-19 pandemic created an enormous amount of difficulties and challenges for everyone, but in this article, I would like to focus on both the positive and negative aspects quarantine had on people and their different experiences. Throughout the worldwide pandemic.
The outbreak of Covid-19 created a world almost all of us were scared to live in. We were not able to see our friends and family, go to work or carry out and maintain hobbies or activities we’ve gotten so used to doing. Being and feeling isolated can truly affect one's mental health and routine. Not being able to leave your home and socialize or stay active will take a toll on any person after an extended period of time. For each person you speak to you’ll acquire different responses on how the pandemic provoked them either negatively or positively. From my own experience during the pandemic, I was faced with many difficulties and found myself struggling with constant obstacles.
I have chosen to interview a few people close to me regarding their own personal experiences with the pandemic and how the quarantine affected them. I would first like to discuss the experience of someone who developed the Corona Virus during the very early stages of the outbreak and had a difficult time coping with the situation. My grandma, Arlene Gibney states, “I lost my sense of smell and I lost my tase as well, I had a lot of body aches and was very weak. We had just begun shut down and months after the shut down I found myself weak still, being that I lost my tase I was nauseous and had no appetite which did not help so there are all kinds of precessions I took to make myself feel better, for example, I rested a lot and tried to eat as much protein as possible to regain my strength. Of course, I am eight five, so it did affect me immensely.” She explains she was weak and scared, living alone and frightened that she would never regain her strength. Furthering the conversation, I asked about the ways she kept busy and distracted herself. She discusses that “having Covid-19 and being so tired I did not care too much about anything because I felt so horrible”.When asked how she managed to recuperate and how she feels now, Arlene responded“I was resting a lot and there were not too many places to go because everyone was staying to themselves. I used to get in the car and go to the catholic church and just say some prayers from my car to get an outing and keep myself isolated but mediate my mind. I would say that helped me one hundred percent. This response helps us to understand the mindset people were in, the sense of hopelessness they felt, and how they managed to come out of it. Based on the previous responses, I decided to touch upon the ways people had a positive experience with self-isolation and took the time to self-reflect.I wanted to see how those individuals turned such a scary and difficult time into something that could better themselves. According to Jessica Poveromo, “I used my time over quarantine and one time to look in the mirror and realized I wanted to change my lifestyle into a healthier one. I started the veto diet and ordered my groceries online and purchased products from healthy recipes that I could make. I incorporated ways to make healthier eating choices”. She encourages others to look at the positive side of a situation and think of ways you can come out stronger. When I asked how she turned a negative situation into a positive, she stated “I took the time to appreciate the outdoors. I walked and ran more than ever before and I found happiness creating new healthy recipes for myself.” As well as creating new healthy habits and creating an environment for herself sh took advantage of her isolation and changed her outlook on life. She stresses the fact that people should be looking at the bright side of every situation because you never know how you can better yourself.
Finally before closing this article, I would like to discuss my own experience and outlook of the pandemic. Being a person who is constantly keeping busy and wanting to surround myself with as many family and friends as possible, you could imagine how difficult isolation was for me. Not only was I mentally struggling with the fact that I was not able to do my daily activities, but my dad had also become sick with the Corona Virus. The mental effects the pandemic impacted were extremely difficult but having someone close to me in my home become sick with a virus we knew nothing about, was the scariest experience I have ever endured. However, being a positive person myself, I encouraged my family to do whatever we could to research and help y dad in any way possible. This was a difficult time because I was balancing the struggles with my own mental health and struggles with isolation, as well as my dad, being sick. However, as time went on my dad became healthier, and my family was extremely grateful. I was granted an experience that not only shaped my putlog on life but the appreciation for my family. My family and I took this time to lean on one another for love and support. We decided to spend every day creating a different activity to help us stay busy and distracted. We each would take turns researching recipes and cooking dinner for the family. Every night we would play different board games or watch movies together to get through this hard time as a family. We wot be able to certainly say the world will completely go back to normal, but we can say no matter the outcome there are ways we can look on the brighter side of this situation and think positively.
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