How have you felt about all the cancellations due to Covid-19? We asked student Jenny Putnam, final year student, to share her experiences of a Summer changed due to the lockdown.
COVID Cancellations – by Jenny Putnam
As my final year at university draws to a close, I’m sure I am not alone in saying that it hasn’t quite been the ending I dreamed of! For the past four years, I imagined this time to be full of friends, fun and sun – though it has been quite the opposite! But there is no point wallowing in self-pity because soon enough we will be able to have the celebrations we dreamed of (even if they are a bit delayed!). It’s easy to feel a bit downtrodden by constant cancellation of events that you were perhaps looking forward to, but it’s important to focus on the things within your control.
My disappointment started just before lockdown when the university informed us that graduation would be cancelled. I felt awful because I’d built such excitement over the past four years for graduation and then in the blink of an eye, it was snatched away from us! I soon came to my senses and began to think of all the positives… we will still have a graduation, it just won’t be in the sun drinking cocktails, but on the upside (as my housemate pointed out) we won’t be sweating under our gowns in the beating sun!
The frustration didn’t stop with graduation, this was followed by a wave of cancellations including Grad Ball and Summer Ball. This seemed like a great shame to me, and I’m sure I’m not alone with these feelings; I think the worst thing was the fact that I wouldn’t get to celebrate and say goodbye to my university friends as I had originally planned.
For students, this end to university can take a significant toll on our social lives. After having my fair share of down moments, I decided that it’s easy to see the negatives during times like these, but we rarely appreciate the positives – so I made this my mission. Seeing as I wouldn’t be able to say goodbye and celebrate with my friends in the manner I’d hoped, I made the decision to arrange weekly zoom calls to catch up with my group of friends where we do quizzes, bingo, play games or just chat. This way, I’m able to see so much of my friends, even those who finished university last year, which is great! I also chose to see the December graduation as a wonderful thing, Christmas is such a magical time of year, and what’s more magical than graduating?!
Remember, at times like these, it’s so important to focus on the things you can control, rather than prioritising feelings for the things you can’t control! Of course, it’s absolutely natural to have negative feelings, you are not alone, but why not try to challenge yourself to outweigh them with positives?
The Guardian recently released this video, ‘A new normal: young people look beyond lockdown.’
The video highlights topics that many of our students may resonate with. Coping with lockdown and the impact it has had on their lives, looking particularly at education, universities and mental health:
If you would like to share your experiences of lockdown, and services/advice that have helped you, please leave a comment.
Please visit Essentials to find your expert support network.