Much like the big cats in the Netflix docu-series I’ve been binging, Tiger King, I feel as though I am being restrained inside of a cage.
I am frustrated. I am restless. And I am scared.
My dad is 65 years old which means that although he has no pre-existing medical conditions, he is still very susceptible to this virus that has control over the entire world right now. That’s terrifying as his daughter, because I’m not afraid of catching the virus for myself, but that if I got it I would pass it on to him.
The cherry on top of it all has been that due to being stuck inside and isolating, my mental health has been suffering. When I get depressed, it is more helpful for me than anything else to stay busy and be social. My options are now severely limited.
It feels as though I spend my days sleeping, shuffling around my parents’ house in my slippers, watching stupid Netflix shows I don’t care about, before sleeping again. I just have no motivation.
Being stuck inside is incredibly damaging for my soul it feels like. The cloudy weather has not been helping either. I still have managed to go for a hike in the rain at least.
I go to my Zoom classes but they’re not the same. Especially my chemistry lab, which is practically a joke right now, unfortunately. School is just not what it’s supposed to be right now, and I’m sure everyone else can attest to that.
Not to mention how much I miss this class. It was something a looked forward to every Tuesday and Thursday, and now we don’t have the things I love about it. The sense of community and the blunt communication of sharing perspectives and opinions is gone.
All that being said, I am healthy and safe. The people I love are healthy and safe. For now, that is all I am trying to focus on through these strange, strange times.
I have been having Zoom sessions with my friends nearly every night. I’ve been going for hikes either alone or walking six feet apart from friends.
I do break my quarantine to see my boyfriend at his house, or he comes to mine. We’ve been doing puzzles, watching shows, doing yoga, baking etc. We watch Bojack Horseman, Tiger King, and I play Animal Crossing on my phone while watching. We’re doing practically anything we can find to entertain us.
I have downloaded an app called Terrarium where I can get plants and grow them, and that’s a silly but fun connection to nature right now.
All in all, I’m trying to make the most of a shitty situation. I hope everyone is being safe, and taking care of their mental and physical health. Stay positive.
Jade Cohen
English 802 Spring 2020 
Nice drawing! – It really fits what you wrote. I relate a lot to this. I no longer get dressed in the morning, and yeah, these labs are a joke. For physics our teacher does the experiment himself, sends us a page of data with little context, and welp, it’s our problem now.
I hate to hear you feel depressed and I agree that staying busy helps. This situation of so weird and I hope you get better.
Will Schenk
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That is a really nice drawing that really describes how this quarantine feels. It is definitely hard being stuck in the house. I have also resorted to TV and games on my phone for entertainment. I play animal crossing and terrarium too, they are very addicting games lol. This situation is very hard and scary, and I wish the best for you and your family.
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I really relate to what you said about being restless but also spending days doing nothing and not having a lot of motivation. I only have one class I need to be in Zoom for and that’s only once a week, because of that it’s up to me to make sure I’m keeping up and that hasn’t been easy. I know for me when I’m generally unhappy I can’t find motivation to do much at all. It sounds like you can at least look forward to spending time with your boyfriend which is nice. Hopefully the weather gets nicer soon and I’m sure that will make this time slightly easier for everyone.
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