It’s official, it has been over a year since quarantine was put into effect and students are still learning how to cope with this new way of life. Without interacting every day like you normally would, we are forced indoors because of a global pandemic. The effects of quarantine have been different for all of us though. 

“With online school, I can’t differentiate the space where I work and space where I can rest because they happen at the same place,” sophomore Jeanice Trat said. “After coming home from school, I usually give myself an hour to relax, but now, I find myself immediately doing my homework because my laptop is open and I’m already at my desk. The lack of breaks takes a toll on students mentally, it makes it difficult to want to work or at least work at an efficient pace.”

Differentiating between school and home is already a difficult task for us and we’re almost adults. How hard is it for Generation Alpha? Extremely hard— they aren’t getting the same experiences we had, like going to the park with your friends or going on a bike ride. Instead, they are forced indoors. 

Physical and mental health are both big issues for us right now because being locked in the house 24/7 limits your ability to exercise and have daily interaction. Coronavirus has changed two years worth of life expectancy rates, not to mention the effects of depression. Quarantine depression is a real thing and some of the signs include boredom, confusion, helplessness, and insomnia. 

Gen Alpha has grown up surrounded by technology and therefore is better able to adapt to being in online school, but us? Some of us don’t know how to copy and paste. 

“Gen Z has not only experienced technology, but they’ve also experienced the repercussions that come with it (toxicity from social media),” Trat said. “So, Gen Z may see online schooling as another extension of toxicity as their intake of technology increases.”

Trat has been “experimenting with cooking” and she’s “able to do more reflecting on [herself]”, but it’s also been a struggle. 

“There have been the typical negatives as well, such as missing my friends and going to events.  This isolation has put a strain on my mental health too, but I’m lucky to have the support of my family and friends (even if it’s virtual),” Trat said.

Adapting to quarantine has been hard, and we’ve had to change major parts of our basic routines. Instead of waking up early, we are waking 5 minutes before class and doing it in bed or at a desk. 

“As a student, quarantine and online schooling have slightly changed my standard routine. I used to wake up much earlier for school, but now I sleep in for another hour since I don’t need to take the time to get to school.” Trat said.

Quarantine lessens our ability to be motivated, therefore affecting our grades, social skills, and offsetting sleeping habits.