Outline (Op-Ed) — Jennifer Rodriguez

1. Intro 

How badly has the pandemic affected the mental health of teens? Due to isolation and the world-changing, teens’ anxiety and depression have skyrocketed. About 65,000 teens were surveyed between the years 2018-2020 and researchers have found that the students in 2020 are feeling more stressed about school than before the pandemic started.

Personal narrative 

With the big change from going to school and interacting with friends to online school changed my performance in school. I got lazy because I was home all day. I would wake up 5 min before class to join and would just scroll through TikTok while the professor talked. This set me back academically. Knowing I was performing to the best ability my mental health got worse and I felt like I was falling deep into a hole and it was going to be hard to pull myself out. Being isolated and having strict parents didn’t help. I wasn’t allowed to be on FaceTime at night when I would feel the most alone.

Advice: my brother had a big impact on me. He is a very independent person and would always motivate me to not depend on others to make me happy or motivate me. He would always tell me I’m my biggest enemy and I’m the only one who can set myself back physically emotionally and academically. 

Work- my first semester of college while also having a job for the first time was the hardest struggle I’ve had to overcome. Having to wake up early for school, then having to go to work until late then having to come home to study or do homework or even both, I felt like I had no time to myself to at least get my thoughts straight. The pandemic and isolation made everything worse because the online school gives way more work than if it was to be in person. 

Closure: my message is to encourage young adults around my age range to motivate themselves and always tell themselves they are their biggest enemy. The pandemic has had a great effect on us but don’t let it drain you. Lift yourself up, and empower yourself and others because this is not easy!