The Importance of Mental Health: How this Pandemic has Negatively Affected Students’ Well-Being
The Covid-19 pandemic has created a rippling effect on young people’s mental health. Mental health relates to “a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being” (Borenstein). During this pandemic, the media has noticeably focused on society’s economy and death toll. However, there is little mention of mental health. The lack of news coverage on mental health should be concerning to parents and students who may miss the signs because they are not aware of this crisis. For the first time, young people are being forced to isolate and disconnect from their social lives. Parents and students need to be aware of the mental health crisis hitting the young population and know how to obtain resources. This essay will demonstrate how this pandemic has affected students as proven by the data that shows a high spike in anxiety and depression in young people, the immense pressure that students feel from homework, and the sense of isolation while being in virtual school.
As a student, I have found it difficult to maintain social connections while balancing the workload of school and the stress of standardized tests and college. I believe that in order to succeed in school, it is critical to have social interactions as well as good grades. During this time, I have found that Zoom calls and virtual connections through social media help with my mental health. On social media, I am able to engage with friends and interact with other people. Constantly checking my group chats and Instagram messages have now become a part of my daily routines. The simple texts help keep me grounded and present with friends and other students. On Wednesday nights, I participate in group meetings with Blue Future, an organization that I joined over the summer. Working on advocacy has given me a purpose during the pandemic that I know has been important for my sense of purpose and ability to focus on a single goal unrelated to the pandemic. Aside from the work that we do politically, we are able to interact with one another and, sometimes, even play trivia over zoom. Without these connections, this pandemic would have been challenging and severely damaging to my mental health. I have had to go out of my way to engage with people and join organizations. This motivation is crucial to attaining any sort of social life during this pandemic. There are many students who do not have this social interaction and as a result, suffer tremendously due to mental health issues.
Parents and students need to be aware of this mental health crisis in our country in order for students to maintain happiness and success. During this pandemic, young people’s lives have been upended. The shutting of schools, lack of interaction, and little mental health resources have affected young people’s well-being. People should pay attention to the high depression and anxiety numbers in schools. The New York Times reported a survey: “A recent study of 3,300 high school students found that nearly one-third reported feeling unhappy or depressed in recent months” (Goldberg). This shows the negative effects that this pandemic has on the student population’s mental health. First, students have had to shift from in-person learning to remote learning. This method does not work for all students and causes another level of stress when they are unable to do their work and learn. Second, students no longer have the same routine that they are accustomed to and depend on. Such simple tasks like waking up every morning to get dressed for school and finding their way to school by walking, driving, or riding the bus are not necessary anymore. Unless the students are deliberate and find ways to maintain their mental being, every day will be the same. This concern is shared by an expert from the University of Minnesota, who says: “They’re (students) all saying a similar thing. This is hard. It’s not fun. It’s not interesting. They don’t feel engaged… They’re tired and that desire to learn which is so core to who children are, is almost being snuffed out” (Seavert). This quote shows that remote learning causes hardships for students. They do not have the motivation to concentrate on learning. Due to the disinterest in learning, students lack goals and purpose in their daily lives which results in isolation and depression. Parents can play a role in this growing public health crisis by being educated on this growing crisis and being aware of student’s mental health issues. These examples show the harsh effects that this pandemic has had on young people’s mental health.
Students and parents also need to be aware of the connection between mental health and the pressures that students have from school. Ever since lockdown, schools across the United States have still given their students a large amount of work each night. I can understand that schools need their students to participate and understand what they are learning in class. However, significant loads of homework and the stress of Covid-19 make it challenging for students to succeed in school and manage their mental health. As reported by the Washington Post, Stanford University “Asked over 200,000 middle and high school students from high-performing schools, right now in your life, what, if anything, causes you the most stress? One of the most common responses was one word: Homework” (Strauss). Homework adds to the stress that students already have while living through this pandemic. This double pressure makes it difficult to get good grades and excel in school. The survey also reported: “In fact, of the more than 50,000 high school students… 56 percent of students said they had too much homework” (Strauss). This evidence supports my argument that students receive “too much homework” and it eventually affects a student’s mental health. In order to stay on top of school, students need to be mentally stable and have the right attitude towards school. When students are overwhelmed with assignments and tests, they tend to develop anxiety and feel more stressed. Students will, then, have a harder time concentrating in school and getting assignments turned in on time. These added pressures of homework make it challenging for students to succeed which, further, damages one’s mental health.
Along with the pressures of homework, isolation also causes mental health problems for students. When students attended school in-person, they could interact with their teachers and classmates every day. There were also many events to look forward to every year, such as homecoming, prom, or even open-mic nights. Now that our world has turned virtual, these events no longer exist. This new isolation that students are experiencing dramatically adds to mental health challenges. A survey shows that “62% of participants aged 18 to 29 said that worry and stress related to the pandemic have had a negative impact on their mental health” (Wirth) and “the rate of depression among college students has also increased since the start of the pandemic” (Wirth). High-school and college students crave in-person social interaction to improve their mental health. Without these social interactions, some students only have one life: attending school. The loss of social interactions and events adds new mental health challenges for some but also negatively impacts students who have already been struggling prior to the pandemic. Parents and students need to know that the lack of in-person activities brings a new sense of isolation to students and this problem will only continue as schools stay closed.
Parents may argue that their children are less stressed due to the lack of extracurricular activities. This pandemic has caused millions of Americans to stay inside their homes and spend time with their families or caregivers. Many students had a busy schedule before this pandemic. They had extracurricular activities that added extra stress to their lives. A writer from the New York Times, Clint Edwards, feels his children’s new routine of staying home has caused less stress. “Tristan, 13, would have had a soccer doubleheader, with games at 9:30 a.m, and 3 p.m. last Saturday… Aspen, 6, had a game scheduled at a third field at noon. And Norah, 10, was signed up for gymnastics practice in a fourth location 40 minutes away at 11 a.m” (Edwards). This example shows the busy life that students had before Covid. Many students did not get enough sleep and did not have time to do their homework. Now that these students are staying home, they have sufficient time to do homework and sleep in. While some students will see improvements in their mental health without the added stress of time management issues, many will still feel isolated and less socially engaged because they are not spending time with their friends after school.
Parents and students need to pay attention to this mental health crisis affecting students. Due to this pandemic, students have suffered severely from mental health problems. This pandemic has resulted in student loneliness due to virtual classrooms, higher level of pressure due to unrelenting homework, and isolation due to no in-person events. Parents and students should have access to mental health resources to get them through these tough times. If people are not aware of this crisis, the numbers, missing assignments, and lack of social engagement will only get worse. Students have suffered tremendously due to mental health issues during this pandemic. It is time to step up and face this crisis.
Works Cited
Borenstein, Jeffrey. “Everyday Mental Health Tips.” Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 17 September 2019, https://www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/everyday-mental-health-tips#:~:text=When%20we%20talk%20about%20mental,and%20behave%20in%20daily%20life. Accessed 18 January 20201.
Edwards, Clint. “How Quarantine Has Brought My Family Closer Together.” New York Times, 26 May 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/parenting/coronavirus-family-quarantine.html. Accessed 18 January 2021.
Goldberg, Emma. “Teens in Covid Isolation: ‘I Felt Like I Was Suffocating.’” New York Times, 12 November 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/health/covid-teenagers-mental-health.html. Accessed 18 January 2021.
Lempinen, Edward. “Student depression, anxiety soaring during pandemic, new survey finds.” University of California, Berkeley, 18 August 2020, https://news.berkeley.edu/story_jump/student-depression-anxiety-soaring-during-pandemic-new-survey-finds/. Accessed 18 January 2021.
Seavert, Lindsey. “Children’s mental health expert on rethinking the approach to distance learning.” Kare 11, 4 December 2020, https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/childrens-mental-health-expert-on-rethinking-distance-learning/89-b2f69a4c-7f75-47d2-881c-88a871e530e1. Accessed 18 January 2021.
Strauss, Valerie. “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” Washington Post, 1 September 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/09/01/does-homework-work-when-kids-are-learning-all-day-home/. Accessed 18 January 2021.
Wirth, Jenna. “Social isolation causes additional mental health concerns for students.” The Daily Orange, September 2020, http://dailyorange.com/2020/09/social-isolation-causes-additional-mental-health-concerns-students/. Accessed 18 January 2020.
Media Citations
Babylon Health, director. Coronavirus | Dealing with Anxiety & Mental Health during a Pandemic, YouTube, 9 Apr. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzNMABRELPg&t=124s.
BBC News, director. Student Mental Health: Depressed and Living in a Bubble of One. YouTube, 10 Dec. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G8R2MgYy1s&t=30s.
Bhardwa, Seeta. “Tips for Studying Online and at Home for University Students.” Times Higher Education, 17 Mar. 2020, www.timeshighereducation.com/student/advice/tips-studying-online-and-home-university-students.
Widdicombe, Lizzie. “The Great Zoom-School Experiment.” New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2020, www.newyorker.com/news/our-local-correspondents/the-great-zoom-school-experiment.
