Being sent home from Temple felt like a blur. Everything happened so quickly with very little questions being answered. As an introvert, learning that I needed to stay at my house for an indefinite amount of time didn’t seem so bad until I remembered I had to continue college courses online.
In high school I took about 4 online classes and they were awful. I have a hidden talent called procrastination which makes staying on top of course work incredibly difficult. Transitioning to working from home immediately felt like high school all over again minus all the good things about it. Lately I’ve feel trapped in my bedroom which in any other cituation would be my safe space. Now its just a room filled with endless distractions.
I’ve binged That 70’s Show instead of sewing a soft sculpture for my 3D Foundations class, started a 1000 piece puzzle instead of completing assigned notecard drawings for art history, and I learned the sad song from Up on the piano instead of working on two essays I had due.
I still complete everything, but I find it harder to take care of my mental health with the constant stream of upsetting news filling every social media app I have access to. I’ve been trying to go on walks when the weather is nice and stay off my phone as much as possible, but since I can’t see my friends and family in person my phone is the only solution.
On another note my mom has had health issues the past year so I can’t see her as much due to us having to be extra careful around her. She is alone at her house so this whole situation has been really hard to navigate balancing social distancing and seeing her.
It’s encouraging to see people of all walks of life coming together (virutally) to provide entertainment/distractions, donate to those in need, and show so much compassion. I wish there was more I could do to help the world during this difficult and uncertain time, but until things get better I’m just going to keep taking it one day at a time.
Lydia Freeby
English 802 Spring 2020 
I feel exactly the same way when it comes to avoiding work and the drawbacks of prioritizing your mental health over school work. I was quarantined in my room and used Animal Crossing as an escape, next thing I knew I had 40 missing assignments in chem. I know its really hard trying to do school work in this kind of environment (both inside and out of your house) and its really hard to thrive when it seems like there’s no structure but I can guarentee there are so many college students who understand exactly what kind of rut you’re in, I just wish professors would understand too.
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Lydia!
Scrolling through the blog posts, I saw this title and this photograph and immediately knew that it was yours. The title and photograph going hand in hand drew me in totally. I’m sorry that you’re having a difficult time. Especially with being unable to see your mother at a time like this. I enjoyed the back and forth in the third paragraph of your writing. I could feel you fighting between doing the activities you truly enjoy versus your school work. Your use of a single sentence to a paragraph conveyed the feeling of these hard times being never ending very well. Don’t beat yourself up too much though! It is more important now than it ever has been to make sure you are doing the things that you love to do. Keep learning tunes from up, and watching your favorite shows. Try your best to remind yourself why you chose to further your education, and find the passion in what you’re doing. I believe in you! Hang in there!
Best,
Vinnie
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Thank you Vinnie! That’s so sweet of you to say. I really appreciate it 🙂
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Procrastion is honestly the worst. Combine that with being stuck at home and it’s a recipe for disaster. I have noticed also professors are not helping the situation when we as students have issues with online classes. I have heard more or less “Just study more” from multiple professors and it is really discouraging.
Add the 24/7 news cycle that is solely not good news(since it gets the clicks of course) and it is just daunting.
At the very least we only have 4 more weeks then school gets cut from the pound of issues!
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