Seek Out For Help Before It's Too Late

In December 2019, a virus outbreak surfaced in China, and it was declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The pandemic has drastically changed people's lives, and the world had to endure a lot in terms of loss of life, economic slump, etc. We are familiar with the saying that humans are adaptable creatures, but this has for sure taken a lot of sacrifices.

Talking about mental health, sadly, it still hasn't gained the same attention and respect as physical well-being. As a result, mental health issues are often swept under the carpet conveniently. It's about time we understood that mental health issues are a spectrum as it varies from person to person. Although everyone goes through this spectrum, however for some individuals, it may be difficult to decode without proper medical intervention.

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of students. With schools being closed as one of the main reasons for the upsurge in mental health conditions, students who were already dealing with mental health issues struggled even more during this period. Loss of loved ones, fear of physical health, worrying about academic performance, physical isolation from friends, teachers, and extended family members, and the complete switch to a virtual mode of education system have brought a drastic change in students' lives. All of these issues have indirectly contributed to conditions like loneliness, agitation, panic attacks, rage, boredom, etc.

Following a daily routine brings discipline and time management, and schools help students to follow these routines. Unfortunately, the pandemic has turned these routines upside down. Sleep patterns became irregular, resulting in decreased quality of sleep among students. Constant usage of smart devices and the internet has not only led to mental and emotional distress but, also physical health problems. Students from low-income families have had to face a lot of mental pressure that adversely affected their academics due to the lack of facilities to attend online classes.

While some students were happy staying at home, for a few others staying at home increased the risk of unprecedented stress or abuse from their families. Parents are supposed to be the primary support system for their children. However, they often fail to notice these unusual behavioural changes in their kids as most of them are unfamiliar with mental health issues and often consider it an excuse made by the kids to run away from responsibilities. Due to this, students are afraid to seek help because they fear they won't be believed and acknowledged for how they feel.

In addition to these health issues, a major factor that afflicted people was socialization with the outside world. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on students' social skills. Children begin to improve their social interactions and gain opportunities to develop various skills during their teenage. Tragically, pandemic-related isolation added to students' already challenging communication skills as they were restricted from socializing with the outside world. Confined within the four walls of their house for a long time, some students also experienced separation anxiety once regular classes resumed back to normal as they had gotten used to being around their families. Without a doubt, one may say that virtual classes did have a severe impact on the academic performance of students. As a result, students were worried about the impact the pandemic would have on their careers. Furthermore, another serious issue that students faced during this period was that it ruled out the subject of sports or outdoor activities that had indirectly helped the students maintain their physiques during school days.

Dealing with mental health illness is a normal phase every human being may go through. According to WHO, one in 7 students experience mental health issues, yet these remain unrecognized and untreated. Acknowledging one has mental health illness and getting treated should be considered as important as physical health. Identifying the symptoms that one might have may be difficult unless it's communicated openly, and the best way to deal with mental health issues is to seek out help when you feel mentally and emotionally distressed. It's important to address these issues at an early stage to prevent them from negatively affecting your mental health later on. Always remember that it's okay to not be okay, and there are people out there who understand and believe you.