Armando Gimenez ’22
With the rise and growth of COVID-19, society is faced with another problem besides quarantine. Naturally with the rise of a pandemic, a large amount of mania and panic is spreading. Along with this excessive panic, there has been a rise of ignorance and arrogance within the youth and mass. A correct balance of mental health is required to stay sane. A large problem is lurking within the quarantine, this would be the divide of mentality.
This divide would separate America with two views: arrogant ignorance of the situation and extreme paranoia. Both of these mindsets are incorrect and dangerous to the believer and the people around them.
The ignorant mindset would make yourself and loved ones susceptible to the virus, which would continue the growth of the virus and could cause deaths to the elderly and weak. On the other hand, the paranoid mindset could cause people to act drastically and irrationally, which could cause mental stress and domestic chaos.
Both of these are incorrect or excessive, what is required is a healthy balance between the two. Balance between the two causes people to be prepared and content. This balance allows families to find peace and comfort, knowing that they are safe but also mentally stable.
The most difficult part of this balance is to keep yourself entertained and content. This can be attained by using multiple means. Some of these means would be to surround yourself with loved ones if you can or to contact those, whom you can’t see, by calling them at least once a day. My personal strategy is to start a new hobby that you never thought you had the time for, or to read a good book.
By reading or watching some TV, your mind is able to move past the what if’s that a pandemic brings, but instead focus on a new reality where your mind can stay active. Although we should have some escape from reality, we should not stray far from the real world and the evolving circumstances that surround us. This tether to reality needs to be strengthened by watching the news at least for an hour almost every night. By watching the news, we are updated on the global and local situation.
One of the most important things to remember during the quarantine is to not stray off your schedule. Although it may be a while before we return to our normal lives, it is essential that we must not stray too far from our daily schedule. By staying close to our schedule we get to return to the life that we had before. By staying on schedule we can continue to stay intact with our daily life while staying quarantined.
The Salesian Spectator 