Rina Xhigolli

COVID-19 has dramatically impacted my life, and many others. It forced me to follow a new routine, new learning style, and develop new habits. This pandemic has impacted each individual in different ways, and it is important for us to stick together through these difficulties, while remaining at least six feet apart. With these new implementations, regulations and policies, I realized that it was important for my attitude, perception and emotions to remain as positive as I could, in order to help me get through each day. Since many restrictions were put in place and each individual was limited, developing healthy habits and remaining in a positive frame of mind could significantly impact day-to-day lifestyle in a significant way. By taking the time to do something as simple as going for a walk, preparing food you enjoy eating, or having a phone call with a friend, can make this time more enjoyable. These images present just a few differences in how my life has changed or what stood out to me during this pandemic including my favorite places, shifts in personal life including community regulations, university education, mental health and media consumption. 

 

Port Stanley Beach

 I chose to put this image of a COVID-19 safety protocol sign at Port Stanley beach in the archive as Port Stanley Beach is where I spend a lot of my time, especially during summer, since it is close to home and a comforting environment. I would come to this beach to help clear my mind, take a scenic walk, and enjoy the beautiful view. It was also just a nice place to go visit when I needed to get out. Since this pandemic, restrictions have been put in place to limit individuals on the beach and overall impact the space that can be used. For the time being in which individuals were not allowed on the beach, I found myself struggling to find a new environment as comforting, warming, and pleasing as this one. 

 

 

This source is the letter students at the University of Guelph received when face-to-face classes were first cancelled. Most students expected this cancellation to last two weeks, the prolonging of campus cancellations shocked the majority of us and changed our education system dramatically. As a third year student, it became very difficult for me to adjust to online learning as I thought I finally had the proper studying and learning habits under my belt. Adjusting from five courses in person, to five online, became very difficult, stressful and overwhelming. Not only did learning the content become difficult, but without the face-to-face interactions with professors, peers and colleagues, as well as visiting campus, university education took a huge turn, dramatically effecting my overall experience. Although professors have done an amazing job transitioning to online classes and providing support to their students, the overall adjustment is detrimental to an individual's education. This information allows historians to recognize how the educational system approaches pandemics, especially in univeristy settings with a large amount of students, and the changes that have been made to the system such as online learning, restricted access to campus and resources, and the overall mental health impacts to a student. 

 

 

Open letter to the Ford government signed by SickKids, CHEO, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Canadian Paediatric Society, Children First Canada, and others. The letter urges the Ontario government to re-open schools citing the impact closures and the resulting social isolation on health and well-being of children and youth is impossible to ignore anymore. We are living through a crisis in children and adolescent’s mental health with a dramatic increase in utilization of acute mental health services. As the vaccine rollout continue, all education and school workers are eligible and should be able to return to open schools for the sake of sparring more children from suffering as a result of the closures.

Letter from the Univeristy of Guelph Cancellation of Face-To-Face Classes

News Article Mental Health Crisis Among Youth

 

This headline stood out to me as it emphasizes a mental health crisis among youth, and allows others to recognize how significantly this pandemic impacts mental health. Due to the change of environments, routine, lifestyle, habits and hobbies, all of these changes, whether small or large, can impact an individual severely. Let alone small personal changes, but dealing with a pandemic and virus that has been killing, harming and physically sickening others is very damaging to mental health as well, especially if a close family member or friend was or is struggling with the virus. The news article goes further to explain how substance use is being abused, and suicide attempts have vastly increased, as well as physical health including surgeries and fractures have increased. This is beyond concerning and disheartening as the government, communities and families must recognize the impacts of a pandemic on an individual physically, mentally, environmentally and socially. Historians can also use this information to recognize mental health issues and improve resources for the future. Although there are many different concerns regarding the pandemic, it is important for individuals to recognize when they fall into bad habits, are feeling isolated, alone, or harmed, and recover to get the help that they need.

 

 

Media Consumption in 16-23 Year Olds during COVID-19

 

This visualization demonstrates how much media consumption Generation Z has been using since the pandemic began. It ranges from categories and the ones with the most usage include online videos, online tv/streaming, music streaming and broadcast tv. This is significant as since the pandemic has started, many individuals spend more time on media since they have more time on their hands, and they take in new and more information, even about the pandemic. One platform that has significantly gained usage is TikTok, and this includes many different online videos and has impacted people's perceptions on many different topics. Although this app can provide useful, beneficial and new knowledge, it is important for individuals to recognize how reliable information is and how their health can be impacted from watching too many online videos. The data was conducted by a survey from 2,218 U.S respondents and 1,726 UK respondents aged 16-64, while "Gen Z" is aged 16-23 years old. This chart also helps to recognize what people are typically spending their time on, and allows for individuals to recognize any behavioural patterns and develop changes within their lifestyle. For example, the category of "Books/Literature" is only 18%, compared to "Online Videos" being 51%. This is a signficiant difference, and allows for recognition that books and literature may be more beneficial to an individual than online videos. Personally, I have also engaged in much more media since the pandemic. My screen time has significantly increased, and I also have TikTok downloaded. Although I try to engage in other activities to avoid media, it is important for each individiual, and historians, to acknowledge how media can impact their perceptions, beliefs and overall health, and use this information to further improve themselves.

COVID Q&A

Describe the moment you realized how serious COVID-19 was: I realized how serious COVID-19 was when we began wearing masks two months after the virus was annouced, and when restrictions were put in place, restricting individuals from seeing others and attending events.

What did you learn about yourself or the people you live with during COVID-19? I learned that everyone is dealing with this pandemic differently, and it is important to recognize that we all have different coping methods through these hardships. I learned more about myself and what I enjoy doing, and also learned how to better manage my time. It is important for everyone to take the time they need for themselves and do something that they enjoy doing, especially since most of our school and work shifted to online.

Other than wearing a mask, what was the biggest change you made to your daily life? Do you think this change will remain when all lockdowns are lifted?  A big change in my daily life was seeing my friends and family way less, this severely impacted me since these people are important to me. I hope this change will not remain once lockdowns are lifted, but I do think people will continue to follow safety measures and social distancing protocols. 

Have you learned any new skills during the pandemic? I have not learned new skills, but I have engaged in new activities such as walking, biking, rollerblading, colouring, drawing, and journaling. 

How do you feel about university education in the last year? University education has been very difficult in the last year. It has been hard for me to adjust to online learning and getting used to a new learning environment. As well, the inability to meet professors, see fellow peers, and visit campus has also impacted my university education. 

List one positive thing and one negative thing you'll take away from 2020: One positive thing I will take away from 2020 is learning more about myself, my interests, and how to enjoy time on my own. One negative thing I will take away is realizing how severe viruses can be and how detrimental it is to someone's overall health. 

What is the best movie or TV show you've watched, or the best book you've read, in the past 18 months? The best TV show I have watched in the past 18 months would be "Vampire Diaries" as this show was very engaging, dramatic and filled with suspense which distracted me from the real world and took my mind off of the pandemic. 

How large of an impact do you think COVID-19 has had on your mental health? COVID-19 has impacted my mental health severely. It created a huge adjustment and change in my lifestyle. It became difficult to accept the fact that I had to stay home most of the time, and this took a toll as being restricted makes you feel trapped. Especially with the shift of online school, I was spending most of my time on my computer and screens, and constantly sitting in my room at my desk. However, this pandemic also helped me learn new coping methods and different stress relievers such as colouring, drawing or taking a walk in order to clear my mind, calm down and relax. 

How has technology impacted your life during lockdown? I have become more relient on technology as I receive most of the news and information from apps such as Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and also spend more time on my phone since the lockdown.

How has the pandemic brought wider acknowledgement to systemic racism in Canada? More recently, there has been attention focused on the systemic racism as traumatic events have been occurring in Canada. Now, more people are using social media and platforms to discuss these matters and raise awareness for the issues occurring. Unfortunately within the last year, there have been many instances of discrimination, racial injustice, and inequality that have occurred in Canada. Some tragic examples that have brought wider acknowledgment include the incident of George Floyd, the findings of child remains at Canadian residential schools, and a terrorist attack, killing an entire family, in London Ontario.

In what ways do you envision society changing due to the pandemic? I can see our society changing due to the pandemic by becoming more aware of safety measures, following proper protocols, showing support to those in need, and overall raising awareness to current issues. The improvements within technology just within the last year have allowed for more recognition of information and accessibility to resources for individuals during the pandemic. As time goes on, and technology and science continue to improve, this will overall positively change society and allow for members of the public to gain more trust and reliability within their own community. This pandemic has not only had an impact on our health, but also has changed our perceptions of inequality, injustice and social issues in our society. 

Now that you are done with both the course and your additions to the archive, is there anything you'd like to reflect on? This course and archive have allowed me to reflect on this current pandemic and acknowledge the changes within myself, including my lifestyle, and changes within society, including technological and scientific improvements. Compared to past pandemics, this has been a major improvement in terms of communication throughout the world, advancements in medicine, and recognizing government actions. It is eye-opening to see how much has changed over time, as well as what has stayed the same, in terms of treatment methods and how to approach a pandemic. It is important for individuals and historians to recognize the similarities and differences between pandemics and the evolvements throughout the years. This pandemic has emerged with technological and scientific advancements that have benefitted each member of the public, and allows for a closer connection between the government and society.