Lydia Seltzer

Name: Lydia Seltzer

Grade: 10

How has the pandemic affected your life?

With the extra time given to work at home, I had a lot to get used to. Throughout the time at home, I would say my mental health was impacted. Not in an extreme sense, but enough that the isolation from my peers was making me seriously doubt my social skills. I got anxious about being back in school full time because of the overwhelming mass of people. In the end, I still stick to the hybrid schedule being my favorite because I was able to spend more time with my family and eat lunch with them. Plus, being in charge of my own work schedule was very important for me, that is one life skill that I value that I learned: Managing my time when all of my time was mine. I am thankful for that because that is something I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

What have you learned as a result of the pandemic?

I really got to take time to get to know who I am. When you are in school, there are certain expectations you place on yourself and a mold that others put you into. Once those outward influences were gone, I got to explore new hobbies, fashion, and review my own work ethic. I have been able to enjoy playing the piano and ukulele, read books, and figure out what I like to do. This was hard at first, but then I got to learn how to use my time in a productive manner.

What worries are you experiencing now? How are you currently coping?

Being in school is a little bit of a stress for me. Not only is the work picking up (I was doing very well in the hybrid schedule), but the social interaction, though mostly treasured, is draining. This had always been a problem for me but I recently narrowed it down to the crowds just pulling the energy from me. Being split for hybrid really helped me cope with that and have more energy at the end of the day.

What are some positive things that have come out of the pandemic?

I got to spend more time with family and try out new things. I got a chance to step back from the business of life and the stress of our reality and get a snapshot of the big picture. Normally, people only get the chance to slow down when they are older and retired. Being forced to do so now was hard to swallow, but ultimately gave me time to reflect and think of things in my life that I want to accomplish, not that I wished I’d accomplished.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope that this will clear up for everyone. The health consequences of this virus are serious and true, so I hope a system will be worked out to put those at risk will be put at ease to live their lives. I also hope that the young children who are growing up with this won’t be negatively impacted. While parts of their personalities and brains are developing, life is haywire. I just hope that this will not put them at a social and mental disadvantage in the future.