Pandemic: Student’s Mental Health, Struggles and Tips

Our mind is very powerful. When we think of something, be it good or bad; Whatever it is, we would be instantly affected, as if our thinking had a life of its own. We act and materialize them. They said there are two wolves in all of us – the good and the bad. And our perception of reality depends on what we feed more. When we’re jealous, depressed, stressed, frustrated, and struggling with anxiety, we feed the bad guys. But when we’re loved, happy, grateful, and hopeful, and thinking about something positive, we’re actually nurturing the good. It all depends on us – our perception of reality. Our ultimate defense in times like these is to think positively and manage our mental health.

There was a growing number of student suicides who were struggling to cope with and embrace this “sudden and great change” in academic learning. Common reasons are: financial problems, lack of equipment for online classes, poor and unstable internet connection, and pressure to attend online classes.

Recently, a 21-year-old student from Sta. Elena, Iriga, Camarines Sur killed themselves due to financial problems and pressure to attend online classes. According to the investigation, the victim’s parents are not aware of any personal problems aside from their grief to attend an online course due to unstable network connection in their area and lack of technological resources. This is the third case of an educational suicide. The first was on June 16 by Sto. Domingo and the other arrived from the same location on August 15. This 19-year-old high school student hanged himself on June 16 after fearing his family would not be able to afford the electronics needed to study online next school year. This unnamed student told his parents how sorry he was for causing “additional expense” to their already ailing family in Albay Province, south of Manila.

“Amidst this ongoing health crisis, depression and emotional breakdowns are likely to emerge among learners and parents — because many students in public schools come from poor families,” Gilbert T. Sadsad, director of the local Department of Education’s office, told reporters. Additionally, despite all the grievances and frustrations from students and educational institutions, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones urged students to be resilient to avoid education-related deaths.

Similarly, studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with stress, anxiety, contagion, depression and insomnia in the general population and healthcare professionals. Ahmed et al. conducted an online survey of 1,074 Chinese and found increased rates of anxiety, depression, harmful alcohol use and a decline in mental well-being. Anxiety and depression rates were higher in young people aged 21 to 40 compared to other age groups.

All of this stems from our most overlooked aspect of our health, making consulting a psychologist and other mental health professionals unlikely and costly. These suicide cases reported in the news were not about the problem itself, but how we deal with it, the main question is whether it is healthy or not; acceptable or not.

Here are 10 tips to help you manage your mental health during this pandemic, especially for students who are struggling to adjust to their current situation.

1. Be open to others

Your family, relatives, friends or someone special are always there for you. They all love you more than you know. When you’re struggling and you feel like you’re giving up. talk to them Don’t be afraid to share your burden.

2. Surround yourself with people who are good for your growth

They said, “Birds with the same feathers flocked together.” So be careful who you are friends with. Choose optimistic people who can lift you up when you’re feeling down. Choose people with the same interests as you. achieve something together.

3. Engage in healthy activities and use your phone as little as possible

In your free time, try to do healthy activities like painting, writing poetry, playing musical instruments, reading books, etc. It will make you discover more of yourself. Cultivate and develop talent. You don’t have to update all your life events on social media and listen and be swayed by the superficiality and people’s opinions.

4. Spend more time with yourself

Talk to yourself about the important things that have happened in your life. Recognize your mistakes. Evaluate yourself through a SWOT analysis or know your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a given situation. To be more productive, we must first know ourselves and what we are capable of.

5. If possible, meditate

Meditation has been shown to have many health benefits such as: B. lowering blood pressure, relieving confusion, treating depression and anxiety. It will help you identify the problem and solve it. When a person meditates, their mind will hit a restart button that would help them see more clearly and solve problems efficiently.

6. Choose positive music

Positive music makes you feel strong no matter what genre it is. When you hear music that talks about overcoming struggles and the inspirational stories behind the lyrics, you’ll be empowered. Studies show that people are influenced by the music they listen to, and we can tell a person by their music choices.

7th exercise

Not only for our physical body, but when we exercise it, a positive mood is created. Your body releases stress-relieving and mood-boosting endorphins before and after exercise, which is why exercise is a powerful antidote to stress, anxiety, and depression

8. Help someone

Helping someone with their problem and their struggles and seeing them after you have helped them is one of the most priceless expressions you can ever see. You will feel lighter.

9. Do you have or know your purpose

No matter how dire the situation, as long as you know where you are going and what you are getting into, nothing can stop you. Fall down 10 times but get up 20 times.

10. Take a break

When it seems like you’re drowning in your problems. Take a break. Take a walk on the beach. Sleep well. Treat yourself to your favorite dish. Buy yourself something. And then get up and fight again.

Here’s a piece of wisdom for you: never let yourself be defeated without even trying to fight.

Thanks to Larry Icabandi Nabiong | #Pandemic #Students #Mental #Health #Struggles #Tips