Staying safe and being healthy are important tasks to pay attention to during the quarantine and however long social distancing is in motion. What is also very important is teens’ mental health during a global pandemic. Simple activities, such as reading, playing a favorite video game, going for a walk, or drawing something simple can help ease some anxiety. 

In an interview via email and text, students were asked how they feel about the quarantine and how they’re coping with it.

Reina Mendoza says, “It is tough and I don’t like the quarantine. It kinda sucks, but I do like that I don’t have to learn about math at 7:50 in the morning or only have 35 minutes to eat lunch.”

A lot of students have said it is enjoyable to not have to be tied to a schedule five days a week.

“What I do is listen to music sort of loud and try to make a movie trailer out of it…sounds weird. but it’s fun,” says Mendoza.

Other students enjoy a quieter activity, because the whole family is most likely at home, not making a lot of noise is intriguing.

Estiban Espinoza says, “Reading a book genre I’ve never explored before what I’ve been doing. I started reading more action books with colorful language and it’s very different from what I usually like, but it’s nice.”

Reading is a good distraction from whatever is bothering a person and can help to relieve stress in situations such as the current events happening.

“Horror books are interesting, too, though, I don’t know how many people will want to read something scary, but I do and I’ve loved it so far,” says Espinoza.

Reading a book is another popular recommendation given by students, but the AR requirement, “takes some of the fun away.”

Payge Hartley says, “This is gonna sound really cheesy of me but I’ve been doing daily walks with my dog, Bailey, in the morning and it hasn’t gotten too hot so her paws won’t get irritated.”

Taking a short or long walk with or without a dog is a good opportunity to clear the mind and get a rough sketch of the day.

“I’m taking advantage of the weather now because I know how hot it’ll get in a few weeks,” says Hartley.

It’s important not to overthink and to try to stay calm as to not create more stress and do more harm than good. All of these are great ideas and can help reduce some of the stress and worry social distancing has caused.