COVID-19 Anecdotes

This pandemic has combined two of my greatest fears: (1) a (possible) global breakdown of civilization in which I am totally useless, become a burden on others, and then perish in a moldy cave, and (2) losing my parents prematurely. My entire family is made of healthcare providers, and my parents are located in one… Continue reading Anecdote #1

I’ve built routine into my days, but I don’t feel obliged to be particularly “productive.” In a typical weekday, I’ll get up a little later than I used to, enjoy coffee and breakfast while reading the news, spend a couple hours working (sometimes a whole day if I feel up to it or interested and… Continue reading Anecdote #2

I was surprised that the first thing I did was pull up the Decameron, which I haven’t really opened since I graduated college 5 years ago. The Decameron is a Thousand-Arabian nights book written during the Black Death in Florence. In that same vein, poetry and literature have helped me. Thinking about them while I… Continue reading Anecdote #3

Poem by Michael Lentz

I have started a long list of friends and family members to whom I’m writing letters on a rolling basis. I bought a small selection of notecards, but am also just using regular paper to do so. While some of my mail has been in a perpetual limbo, reaching out to friends and family, especially… Continue reading Anecdote #4

Working out has been great – I really needed to see some progress, and working out can help me be free of anxiety even for just a fleeting moment. Workouts can be so exhausting that I don’t have the energy to be drowning in my anxiety.

I have OCD, and the pandemic has certainly taken a significant toll on my treatment and recovery. I’ve had OCD since early childhood, but within the past two years, I put a LOT of work into my cognitive behavioral therapy, and I am happy to say that I vastly improved! I used to routinely wash… Continue reading Anecdote #6

3 Faucets by Dennis Ryan I love this artwork because, for me, it captures the intensity, rapid movement, and frantic fervor of OCD hand washing. Especially during this pandemic, my hands are often cracked and bleeding. In a sense, hand washing can be an act of violence against myself. I’m trying to wash my hands… Continue reading 3 Faucets – by Dennis Ryan

I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with myself for my lack of progress in my research. I’m feeling a great deal of (self-imposed) pressure to get lots of work done in this time since I’m never going to have this much “free time” ever again. Under normal circumstances, my research is all in-lab work, so in… Continue reading Anecdote #7

Back in December (in the pre-COVID era), I experienced the loss of my grandmother. I was very close with her and this was a truly devastating, although not unexpected, loss. I grieved with my family and spoke at the funeral. I went home to my parents’ house for Christmas and shared memories of my grandma,… Continue reading Anecdote #8

Maintaining my mental health during the pandemic has been difficult. I am a single parent of a three-year old boy and I now have no childcare for him as the daycares are all closed. My days are spent trying to entertain him, teach him, and keep him engaged and active. The pandemic has taken a… Continue reading Anecdote #9

One thing that has helped me is reminding myself that this is not a normal situation in which to be working, and that I shouldn’t expect myself to be able to function “normally” or be as productive as I usually am. I’ve lived with anxiety and depression since high school, so going to school while… Continue reading Anecdote #10

I feel a lot of pressure to be superhuman. Just trying to keep up with coursework and research became a herculean task, and as a G1, I worry that my newly formed friend groups will fade away without the ease of proximity. I was almost constantly anxious or stressed, and what has helped is getting… Continue reading Anecdote #11

In this time of total lack of structure, it was initially difficult to balance time between work, family, and self. Sticking to a structured routine has been a great antidote to this feeling. I wake up at the same time every day, include meditation in my morning routine, work for most of the day (with… Continue reading Anecdote #12

I’m fine By Sarah Marie Bruno   Sometimes I feel like the story of my life  Isn’t about me; It’s a movie starring a girl without a face, Watching herself in two dimensions, From a safe distance I draw on my clothes like I draw on a smile But I’ve forgotten what a dress looks… Continue reading I’m Fine – by Sarah Marie Bruno

When I was in undergrad, I experienced a trauma that was further compounded by my University failing to support me (and in fact, my University essentially implemented a gag order forbidding me from speaking publicly about what had happened). In ways that I couldn’t have anticipated, this pandemic has brought up a lot of those… Continue reading Anecdote #13

We’ve reached the end of our mental health anecdotes series. We hope you found the posts helpful. Perhaps you related to some of them and/or have more awareness of the mental health challenges facing many graduate students in this time.  Thanks for your engagement with this series and for making mental health a priority for… Continue reading Thank you!