Omar E. Zapata | THE RIDER
You know what they say about a trainwreck, where it is so awful that you can not look away? 2020 was that trainwreck. You wanted to look away, but you just could not because it was all around you.
2020 seemed like it had more downs than ups, from personal experience, but also due to the sheer number of events that have affected people. I believe something that really changed and shaped people’s lives into what, for better or worse, is the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covering COVID-19 for The Rider, since the beginning of the pandemic: from the first cases in Texas, to vaccines being administered, it has been a very long journey, and who knows how much longer it will be. It went from, “Oh cool, we get an extended Spring Break,” to wondering when life would be back to normal. But for myself, and probably many college students, even pre-COVID, normal was pretty chaotic and stressful.
I am not speaking for all college students. If you have your stuff together, then props to you. I am speaking for the college students like me that are worried about the present and the future, worried about what we are going to do after graduating, what jobs we can get, the current state of our country and the daily struggles of life.
All of this, combined with the pandemic, makes it a very difficult and confusing time. Who would have thought we would have to navigate through this a year ago?
At least in pre-COVID times, people had more ways to release stress. Whether it was partying, spending time with friends and family, traveling or even going to the movies, these were things that people used to stay sane and calm in life. With COVID taking a lot of things away, people have been in their homes with no release valves, and this has led to many problems.
In late June, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use, according to a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From people becoming depressed and unmotivated, to domestic violence rates going up, all this time inside has made life difficult for people.
As for me, all this time inside and all the other struggles that were present in my life made me depressed for much of the year. The almost daily negative stories of people struggling and dying from across the world, and in my own backyard, of COVID, and not being able to release that stress just really hindered my ability to look forward to days. Some days, it was very hard to even get out of bed and be a normal human being, but I got through it. For 2021, even as crazy as it has started it, I want to commit myself to finding that motivation and passion for life again. I need to find the spark that made me excited for life. I am not ashamed to admit that this past year has been a struggle for me and admitting it is the first step for me to go forward, to not be held back.
With more and more vaccines being administered, it gives me hope for the future to go back to normal. A light at the end of the tunnel. Even if it might be a year away, hope is what carries and inspires life to flourish and to push through the struggles and pain. For anyone else that has gone through, or is going through something similar, I hope you too find it within yourself to commit to get better amid the craziness of life, and grow from it. There will be a time where you will be able to see loved ones, do the things you love and just experience life.
Life is a journey not a destination. Even with the whole world stopping due to the life-changing pandemic, time does not wait for anyone. So I hope for myself, and other people, that we grow from this time and come out of it better, with a more appreciative view of life and its passions and pains.
