COVID-19 alerts all day, everyday. A to do list that just keeps on filling up. Multiple assignments to complete by the next morning. A day like this can cause a person a lot of stress. Everybody’s lives were stressful pre-pandemic; however, is it more stressful nowadays?

For many people, the pandemic has had a very negative affect on their life. People have had family members and other loved ones get sick and even pass away, some people have lost their jobs, all while trying to adapt to a new lifestyle. Across the world, school and work situations have drastically changed. These changes have brought a lot of stress to adults’ and children’s lives.

After surveying a couple of people ranging from ages eight to 45, it is clear that the pandemic has caused everybody at least a little stress.

An eight year old who attends Hastings Elementary School shares that on a scale from one to 10, one being least stressed and ten being most, he claimed he was a two.

He said, “It is just hard adjusting to being back in school everyday.”

On the far end of the scale, a 45 year old whose company has had everybody working from home since last March, claims he is about a seven on the scale.

“It definitely is more stressful to do my job at home. I am just glad we have ways to communicate with each other daily,” he reportes.

After interviewing teens from ages 12-17, it was made clear that school work is what causes them to be most stressed. In total, five of the seven teenagers surveyed were above a five on the stress scale.

Another question answered by these individuals was, what have you been doing to manage your stress?

“I have been making sure I have time to do something for myself. I will carve out some time to watch a television show, or maybe go spend some time with my friends,” a 15 year old who attends WHS says.

A 25 year old who has also been working from home since March states, “I try to do some type of exercise before or after work. Whether it is a short walk to the end of my road, or go on a long run downtown, it makes me feel more calm.”

If you are feeling stressed, there are ways to cope with it. These include:

spending time doing things you enjoy
exercising
yoga
taking a break from your device
therapy

It’s clear that COVID-19 is causing people to be a lot more stressed than usual. If you are one of those people who are feeling stressed, try to take some time to find a coping strategy that works best.
It’s important to take time for yourself during these unprecedented times.