Feeling extra stressed this semester? It could be because you are.
Along with the typical end-of-semester list as long as our arms, we’re also still going through a pandemic, the fallout from a presidential election and other personal issues. So, how do we deal with all the different things life is throwing at us right now? Kevin Bellew, associate dean of Wholeness and Wellness, has some guidance.
“Because of the nature of increased isolation with COVID-19, there are a lot of people who’ve lost motivation this semester. We’ve always had that, but I’d say that’s compounded,” said Bellew.
Along with an extreme loss of motivation, Bellew noted that Asbury’s entire campus has not had a substantial break since the beginning of the semester.
“Students have been going without a stop for a long time now — we didn’t really have a break. And on top of that, we’ve been dealing with all these restrictions and also these micro-griefs of not getting to do this tradition, or that event didn’t happen, or whatever else we’ve lost,” said Bellew.
Even with Asbury’s dedication to community, Bellew commented that the world has been dealing with loneliness for years now, with the pandemic only increasing this issue.
“Even before COVID in March, I talked at a retreat and I was calling what we were in a ‘loneliness epidemic’ here on this campus and in the world and this culture, really — but then COVID hit and we’re now separate and alone,” said Bellew, “Just simple systems like eating at the cafeteria and going to chapel — those things are making us feel even more isolated now because of how they have to be. That has a detrimental effect on our mental health. It leaves us feeling more depressed with lower energy and higher anxiety.”
Now with COVID-19 fears and restrictions, it’s even harder to find the energy to be social. But, Bellew notes that this is one of the best ways to fight off the end-of-semester stress and loneliness.
“It was easy to go to the cafeteria and find somebody to have lunch with. These days, it’s so much work,” said Bellew. “But even when you’re feeling exhausted, put effort into connection. Ask someone to lunch, study with someone, leave your hall door open — that’s so, so critical to our mental health, feeling like we belong.”
Bellew also suggested scheduling in time away from work to have fun amidst the projects, papers and exams to study for.
“For those that have to get stuff done, just focus on getting one thing done at a time. But then build into — I mean put it on your calendar — build in things for fun also. We’ve lost our ability to laugh and play and have fun, so whatever that looks like,” said Bellew.
Lastly, Bellew noted that remembering who we are and what we’ve done this semester might help alleviate some of the anxiety during this time.
“Through all of this, remember who we are. One of the things that’s helped me is thinking of the tensions that exist right now. We’ve been through something really hard, but we’ve also been able to stay on campus, something we didn’t think was possible,” said Bellew.
