Dublin Core
Title
Anecdote: Zoe Fuad, Class of 2023
Subject
Mental Health, Relationships, Work-Life Balance, Social Isolation/Quarantine
Description
Lists of struggles associated with COVID-19 and "interesting" parts of quarantine, as well as a personal statement on mental health and physical well-being
Date
April 25, 2020
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Mix = works together but not codependent
Ecology = codependent: fan on media and vice versa
Covid has been really hard for a number of reasons (non exhaustive list; just from the top of my
head): a. suddenly losing the independence just gained b. home environment definitely bringing us
back to some bad places, feels like character regression c. losing out on something I felt entitled to
(i.e. my time at college) d. being very far from friends and the emergence of new insecurity as the
nature of social relations is now changed e. feeling guilty for being mad about these things bc other
people have it way worse obviously f. struggling in studies and then feeling guilty again for same
reason as above since study conditions are not objectively that bad
Some interesting parts to being in quarantine:
a. Boundary between "real life" and "internet life" has become increasingly blurred, as so much of our
daily activities now resides (necessarily) online; the increasing importance of the internet in our
household feels almost like an invasion, as the public pervades the private. Places like meme pages,
tik tok, etc. no longer feel like "just" methods of escapism, and our online identity has new
importance. It seems crucial to the act of balancing my "college identity" with my "home identity" if
this makes any sense
b. There's a new urgency to learning to be vulnerable and open with the people I love / am trying to
maintain in contact with despite the distance ... perhaps this is to compensate for the sudden
decrease in time we have together, or perhaps it comes from the need to feel connected while
quarantined? Not sure
c. Definitely a religious test of faith – this is such an unprecedented time, to what extent can I really
be planning for the future? To what extent do I need to rely on faith, and to what extent is this just an
excuse to avoid confronting reality? Not sure!
d. Rationing over the past few weeks has been hard and definitely made me recognize my usual
privilege in having an excess to eat
My demographic/Me personally:
Have been pretty okay. Well off in terms of materials and security, mostly just mental health that's
taking a toll. Hard not to feel anxious when everyone says it's the apocaylpse / depressed when
everyone says that the world as we know it is over ... this sort of fear mongering seems unhealthy
and unproductive ... but also, how do you escape from these sorts of feelings when you feel so
trapped? Being trapped in the home seems to create the feeling of also being trapped in one
mindset.
Moreover, the fact that everyone is struggling with the apocalypse makes it more difficult to
recognize that one deserves/has the right to seek help, even if their problems are not as bad as
others’
Reaching out to friends has been simultaneously easier and harder, as some people are willing to be
more vulnerable and some are not; without physical presence, it becomes difficult to gauge
emotional situations. Moreover, the act of comforting is increasingly reliant upon the ability to write
well/be verbally articulate in place of being able to provide a huge or other physical comfort.
Ecology = codependent: fan on media and vice versa
Covid has been really hard for a number of reasons (non exhaustive list; just from the top of my
head): a. suddenly losing the independence just gained b. home environment definitely bringing us
back to some bad places, feels like character regression c. losing out on something I felt entitled to
(i.e. my time at college) d. being very far from friends and the emergence of new insecurity as the
nature of social relations is now changed e. feeling guilty for being mad about these things bc other
people have it way worse obviously f. struggling in studies and then feeling guilty again for same
reason as above since study conditions are not objectively that bad
Some interesting parts to being in quarantine:
a. Boundary between "real life" and "internet life" has become increasingly blurred, as so much of our
daily activities now resides (necessarily) online; the increasing importance of the internet in our
household feels almost like an invasion, as the public pervades the private. Places like meme pages,
tik tok, etc. no longer feel like "just" methods of escapism, and our online identity has new
importance. It seems crucial to the act of balancing my "college identity" with my "home identity" if
this makes any sense
b. There's a new urgency to learning to be vulnerable and open with the people I love / am trying to
maintain in contact with despite the distance ... perhaps this is to compensate for the sudden
decrease in time we have together, or perhaps it comes from the need to feel connected while
quarantined? Not sure
c. Definitely a religious test of faith – this is such an unprecedented time, to what extent can I really
be planning for the future? To what extent do I need to rely on faith, and to what extent is this just an
excuse to avoid confronting reality? Not sure!
d. Rationing over the past few weeks has been hard and definitely made me recognize my usual
privilege in having an excess to eat
My demographic/Me personally:
Have been pretty okay. Well off in terms of materials and security, mostly just mental health that's
taking a toll. Hard not to feel anxious when everyone says it's the apocaylpse / depressed when
everyone says that the world as we know it is over ... this sort of fear mongering seems unhealthy
and unproductive ... but also, how do you escape from these sorts of feelings when you feel so
trapped? Being trapped in the home seems to create the feeling of also being trapped in one
mindset.
Moreover, the fact that everyone is struggling with the apocalypse makes it more difficult to
recognize that one deserves/has the right to seek help, even if their problems are not as bad as
others’
Reaching out to friends has been simultaneously easier and harder, as some people are willing to be
more vulnerable and some are not; without physical presence, it becomes difficult to gauge
emotional situations. Moreover, the act of comforting is increasingly reliant upon the ability to write
well/be verbally articulate in place of being able to provide a huge or other physical comfort.
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