Covid-19 has changed my life in so many ways. One of the biggest ways the pandemic has affected me is through my mental health.

In the beginning of quarantine I saw this new time for myself as a positive thing until the end of summer when I realized that not being around my friends or having people around to talk to and encourage me was affecting my mental health more than I had planned. After being stuck inside with nothing to entertain you but a phone screen or a book, you start to forget what life was like before.

Quarantine wasn’t all bad though. One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that I came out a much better person. Throughout the past year I’ve looked at things from a different perspective and listened to the voices around me. I’ve also developed some new hobbies like making rings and playing volleyball.

Coming back to school was one of the most challenging parts of the year. Jumping back into social interaction after not having it for a year was difficult. As my choir teacher would say, I’ve lost my voice. I’ve always been a shy kid, but this is different, and it seems that most of us students feel the same way.

To anyone who has also lost their voice, we got this, and we’ll get it back. It’s scary to think that wearing masks and keeping a six-feet distance from people could become the new norm. Sometimes I think that the world may never be normal again but that’s okay because maybe this new normal will be better and safer. This has been one of the most brain shattering years of my life but the fact that my family and I got through it gives me reassurance that I’m more capable than I thought I was.