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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Looking back at my previous journals, it seems that I often wrote about how uncertain COVID-19 has made the future. Shifting regulations, new variants, and the possibility of lockdowns constantly loom at the back of my mind. Accordingly, this past week reminded me of how variable things are. Because [our college] community has been experiencing a spike in cases, all of campus has had to go back to masking indoors with protective KN95s through the end of classes. We almost made it to four mask-free weeks, but the inevitability that cases would keep increasing made that impossible. While reactions around campus are mixed, I do not have strong feelings one way or another. Honestly, I knew indoor masking could be a possibility again, and while I am a bit annoyed at having to readjust to breathing through a mask, I can handle a couple weeks of mask wearing if it means other campus activities, like outdoor festivals, remain open. One thing different this time around is the weather. Spring is here, which means days have been sunnier and temperatures have been warmer. Last week, I spent a lot of my time searching for new outdoor study spots and soaking up some sun for the first time since October. I even had a couple classes outside (hint: the anthropology class I am writing this journal for) and felt so much more mentally refreshed than I usually do after spending my time sitting indoors. Being able to spend more time outdoors, I also think it will be easier to adjust to mask wearing. During the winter, I felt like we all curled up into our own little bubbles and hid behind our hats, coats, and masks, so hopefully now we can use the warmer weather as an opportunity to maintain connections with others despite having to mask. I am eager to see how we all practice mask wearing in a new seasonal context, especially having already experienced waves of regulations in the past. Below is a picture I took last week while sitting under a tree and writing an essay for class; this was a day before the new mask regulations were announced.
May 5, 2022
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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Mañana es mi cumpleaños #20, me habría encantado poder celebrarlo como todos los años, pero la verdad es que la situación actual no me lo permite, siempre he sido una persona introvertida a la que le agradaba pasar tiempo en casa y con su familia. Este año ha sido demasiado bueno en mi experiencia, mi salud mental estaba en la basura para ser sincera antes de la pandemia, tuve algunos problemas y eso me causó una inestabilidad mental terrible, en estos meses de pandemia he trabajado en mi salud mental, y después de muchos años por fin he dedicado mi tiempo para mi, he reforzado mis inseguridades, he ayudado a otros a lograrlo, he creado de algún modo el mecanismo para hacerme feliz, me siento bien. Pero hay días que tan solo me gustaría poder salir al parque de mi zona a leer un poco, a sentir como el mundo vive. Siempre me ha gustado observar desde lejos como las personas viven su vida, y ahora es triste ver como todo a mi alrededor cambio tan rápido, la mascarilla se volvió una parte esencial del atuendo que vas a usar, lo superficial que veíamos antes en las personas desapareció, ahora nadie se arregla para salir, sino más bien, se proteje para hacerlo.
July 20, 2020