Arcadia England

In our second blog focusing on mental health, guest blogger Teddy Monzo, who studied at City University in Fall 2019, shares her experiences during the pandemic and mental health survival tips.

I’ll just say it: Quarantine really kicked my mental health’s butt. Going from social connection and fulfilment in a big city to being confined to my house in a small town was honestly devastating. This was supposed to be THE year, my senior year of college. Like all of you, 2020 has clearly not gone according to plan. All summer I felt gloomy, isolated, disconnected and unmotivated. My depression became more present and I found myself in bed for hours at a time, sometimes the whole day. As the depression deepened, my eating disorder consequentially worsened. Ultimately, my therapist and I decided for me to enter a virtual treatment program to seek better support.

I spent 3 whole months in that program recovering from the negative impact the pandemic had on my mental and emotional health. It was essentially a virtual support group led by younger mental healthcare workers that could really relate and empathize with everything going on. Me (and nearly a dozen other young adults) were able to navigate our current mental health and figure out effective coping skills, gaining valuable tools for staying strong during quarantine (and life in general!).

From my own journal to your screen, here are my top tools for kicking quarantine’s butt:

1. Develop a routine. Routines help steady your mind, organize your thoughts, and can help give someone struggling with their mental health a sense of purpose. Even if it’s just a morning or night routine, creating structure in your day can really make a difference.
2. Prioritize Self-Care. Make the time and honor the commitment to taking care of yourself, whether it be a long hot shower, a TV break, a comfort food… whatever feels like a big hug or a sigh of relief.
3. Connect with others (at a distance). Quarantine can really feel isolating and lonesome, especially when you’re in a new country with new people. Something I started doing in order to stay connected and supported with loved ones is schedule breakfast/lunch/dinner/dessert FaceTime dates. I know this can be tricky with the time difference abroad, but a lunchtime break in Europe lines up great with dinner time back home! A simple 30-minute check-in with someone you love can make all the difference.
4. Make plans! Something that has always been helpful for my mental health is making lists of things I would like to do. A great way to remember that quarantine won’t last forever is to make a checklist of sites, restaurants, and activities to look forward to once it’s over.

I can gladly say the last month has been astronomically better than the others in quarantine thanks to these tools. I’ve started my fall (and final) semester virtually feeling hopeful, connected, and in-touch with my healthy inner voice—the voice that validates my feelings and reminds me of the tools I (and now you!) have to support mental health.