The pandemic took a toll on just about everyone around the world.
Whether that means a struggle to get hours at work, family members being afflicted, you yourself getting the virus, etc., everyone has felt the quake of civilization because of COVID.
While the physical world was affected, so was the mental health of many.
Students around the globe have been placed in the middle of some of the hardest challenges to navigate. Online learning, while enjoyed by some, was isolating and difficult to manage, myself being one of those people. Some were forced to make the decision to stay at home, pending the resume of campus openness. These were just some of the surface-level issues circulating students during the quarantine of the world.
Now that the CDC has loosened its prevention guidelines, there is an anticipatory feeling that the world will be returning to some sense of normalcy. While it has, according to the Tennessee Department of Health’s website, Tennessee is seeing an average of 16,968 cases per day as of last week, and a total of 1, 771, 783 cases statewide.
COVID-19 continues to rage, but students in some areas have been allowed more freedoms on-campus. ETSU has since opened campus, is conducting in-person instruction and is holding events for students to come together and experience college life.
With this, we can expect that the mental strenuousness for students has declined. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily the case.
“Many students are anxious, socially isolated, depressed- and overwhelming mental health centers,” wrote Anemona Hartocollis for her New York Times article “Another Surge in the Virus Has Colleges Fearing a Mental Health Crisis,” published December of 2021.
Hartocollis continues to discuss the negative affects of online schooling now that students are allowed on campus again.
“There is no doubt that missing a large chunk of college has changed the social dynamic on campus…” she said.
A student from Claremont McKenna College in California interviewed by Hartocollis said, “People came back to college thinking that they had all of these friend groups… but you’re much different people and fully two years older.”
These statements ring true to many students at the moment. Online learning lasted for so long that returning to campus required many to completely change their routines, study habits, sociability and more. With that, mental health crises can arise.
In order to help combat some of these mental health issues that have arisen, ETSU has extended services free for students to use when in need.
The counseling center, located on the third floor of the Culp in room 326, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. They conduct online appointments for students seeking help.
There is also a Behavioral Health and Wellness Clinic Monday through Thursday at two different times, 8:30 a.m. – noon and 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., to provide students with flexible opportunities. The clinic is affiliated with the Department of Psychology’s Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology, and they provide help with anxiety, sexual orientation and gender identity, depression, trauma and the list goes on. They also do assessments for ADHD, autism, diagnostic clarity and learning/school problems.
For more information on the clinic, visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/psychology/bhwc/default.php
A really handy outlet for students seeking help is the BucsPress2 hotline, operating 24/7. Simply dial the phone number, 423-439-4841, and press 2 once connected to speak to a counselor.
Your mental health is important. Recognizing that you need help is a huge step in your mental health journey. Getting help is the best thing you can do for yourself, whether you know you need it or not.
