As students begin another semester as remote learners in a society full of conflict and uncertainty, it is very easy to fall victim to feelings of stress, burnout, and overall anxiety over the future. As COVID-19 continues to loom over everyone’s heads and with the vaccine distribution on the horizon, one can almost taste the return to normalcy. College students have been the “forgotten people” as we did not receive any extra assistance and are forced to learn about our careers by ourselves, all while experiencing the crippling anxiety of entering a workforce that we no longer are familiar with.
We are told to grin and bear it, but we do not have to accept stress and anxiety as the new normal. As Florida State Seminoles, we are lucky to have multiple resources open to us, at no charge, from the University Counseling Center (UCC). The UCC is hosting weekly workshops this spring about anxiety, depression, mindfulness, and they are even hosting an event where one can learn how to assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. As students, we are not alone in feeling isolated and overwhelmed and it should be encouraged for us to find comfort within one another, in a safe manner. Hearing from our professors and parents about how we can destress can seem useless to us as they are not in our position, but students can help one another.
Self-care may also seem redundant and the enjoyment of it has almost been eliminated due to COVID-19, but it is still important that students take a break from their studies. We can take a walk, exercise, pick up new hobbies to de-stress, join cultural and identity clubs, and just take moments away from our computers and form bonds with our roommates or better our bonds with our friends and families. We cannot allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed because this is when our mental health, our grades, and our relationships begin to crumble. Taking breaks and finding a balance between class, work, and daily life is imperative to surviving another remote semester.