Social distancing and mental health

As of writing this, it’s been:

27 days since I last saw MSA

23 days since I vacationed in Florida for spring break

20 days since I’ve hung out with friends

14 days since I’ve began self quarantining


For this week’s blog, I want to talk about how the past few weeks have effected me mentally. I know that everyone is kinda going through it right now, so I wanted to put my own thoughts out there just to let you know I’m going through it as well and you’re not alone.

I’m been trying to distract myself with some sort of technology or doing schoolwork, but ultimately, I’m just bored. And I’m bored, I have no choice but to just think. I end up thinking about the friends and family that I haven’t seen or heard from in awhile. I think about all that’s happening on the news. I think about all the things that I’ve wanted to get done at home and now that I have the free time to do them, I’m unmotivated.

This time alone with my thoughts as made me realize that I take a lot for granted. Mainly, I take MSA and my friends for granted. I have actually never wished that I was at home or back at my old school while at MSA, but now that I’m stuck at home, I’ve realized that I’ve taken a lot of my independence and the resources of MSA for granted.

I also have become unmotivated. There are days that I wake up and just want to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling all day until the sunsets. I know that this isn’t a healthy mindset, but a lot of boosts in my mental health have come from seeing friends and hanging out with them.

Sure, we still FaceTime and play games online together, but it’s not the same.

But of course, now that I’ve spend enough time alone and away from the rest of the world, I’ve begun finding other things that make me feel better.

Things I’ve begun doing in quarantine to keep me busy:

  • Finding free videogames or old videogames to play
  • Watching movies that are out of my comfort zone
  • Walking in the evenings when it’s cool outside
  • Cooking and baking
  • Gardening
  • Making YouTube videos again
  • Finding new TV shows to watch

I hope that you all are also finding new ways to keep yourselves entertained. We’ll make it out of this soon! I miss and love you all!

– Addison

Author: Addison Laird

Just a Media trying her best

3 thoughts on “Social distancing and mental health”

  1. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a month since we’ve been at MSA. It doesn’t feel real. And when you said you feel unmotivated, sis I FELT that! I also realized how much I took MSA for granted, and I’ve been doing things to keep me busy, even though it feels like I might die of boredom. Thanks for sharing some of your feelings during this time. I enjoyed reading it!

  2. I too, am having a rough time these days. I enjoyed seeing your perspective on how this virus has had an effect on you. I am trying hard to have motivation, not sleep all day, and try different things.

  3. Ow, the beginning hurt me. Honestly, I feel a similar way. It is quite a challenge to stay motivated and awake in life. Sometimes I find myself sitting and thinking for too long, and it is annoying because there is so much to do. And then you realize how much you take for granted even despite your gratitude. I can definitely relate. This is a challenging time, so I am glad to hear how much you are doing; it is motivating. Our society is so fast-paced and focused on endless, flitting destinations. And now everything is so slow; reality has almost paused. I guess we are all adjusting to this shock and coping with what this situation means. But I also guess that this situation has presented so much opportunity to resume old hobbies, unfinished projects, etc. It is also a time to realize all of what is important in your life,hm. All in all, thank you for sharing your thoughts because I felt this whole post, hah.

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