I think I speak for everyone when I say 2020 has been a year like no other—especially for first-year university students like me.
Beginning with the cancellation of grade 12 graduation and prom, then undergoing the culture switch to online schooling, struggles with mental health have become a reality for students across the country. Transitioning from 14 years of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in-person classes to managing online university courses through countless platforms is overwhelming.
When classes began at Carleton, I remember feeling anxious as I dived into the next chapter of my life. Every lecture and class activity felt as if I was interacting with a robot. Barely any face-to-face interaction and minimal vocal communication rendered school an experience that only heightened loneliness and doubt.
Even the basic knowledge many older students take for granted was difficult to grasp. Truth be told, I had no clue what cuLearn even was going into the first week of classes—an experience shared by many of my first-year peers—emphasizing the lack of knowledge around our new reality of virtual learning.
Between Zoom, cuLearn, VOD, Microsoft Teams and all the other platforms my professors have introduced to me, it is hard to keep up and even harder to stay motivated.
Whether you utilize coping mechanisms such as meditation, exercise, reading or virtual interaction, it’s important we take time for ourselves in these ‘unprecedented times.’
For myself, I cope by occupying myself with things that make me happy. My stress and constant feeling of being overwhelmed influenced me to prioritize spending more time with my roommates and making the best of our less-than-favourable situation.
In September, we decided to take one day entirely for ourselves. We wanted to make a memory we could look back on after first year that didn’t revolve around Zoom meetings and online assignment submissions.
We made the spontaneous decision to bungee jump off of the highest ledge in Canada in Chelsea, Que.
I recognized that since beginning online school in my small dorm room, I had not been in my normal headspace. For my own well-being, I needed to get outside and challenge myself, bringing back that excitement, enjoyment and sense of pride to prove that I, Emma Weller, could accomplish something as fear-inducing as a bungee jump.
We take the small things in our lives for granted. We do not realize how much we need human interaction in our daily lives, and I find myself often remaining at my screen for over eight hours on some days just to obtain any bit of safe contact with others I can.
That quick conversation or simple hello walking to and from class means a lot more than we think, and is almost impossible to replicate in an online environment.
Additionally, with the constant stress of “Did I miss an assignment?” or “Did I miss a synchronous discussion?,” it is more important than ever that students prioritize our mental health and seek support when needed. The same goes for professors, as they too are likely struggling with this transition—we are all in it together!
These are the thoughts that constantly run through my mind on the average day. However, the moment of the free fall, I immediately felt the release I had been craving. Absolutely no other thought rushed through my head besides, How in the world did I just voluntarily jump from a 200-foot high crane? Nothing else mattered in that moment. For the sake of my mental health, I needed that.
From this impulsive jump, I have come to the realization that I can do whatever I put my mind to. Whether that may be striving to make an essay the best it can be or managing all my classes without feeling anxious 24-7—I knew I could conquer and overcome the struggles I’ve faced since this chapter of my life began.
Perseverance.
Break down that wall and write the chapters of your life the way you want to. You are your own author. Don’t write your chapter about the person sitting behind the computer screen every day—write it about the person who is growing and living life like it could end tomorrow.
Featured graphic by Danielle Cole.
