If you’re feeling like you need a helping hand, whether therapeutic or social or both, ask for it. The last thing any of us need right now is shame that we didn’t write the novel so many memes on social media insisted we should be writing, given the time on our hands. Some people’s best might have been Netflix and ice cream. Now is the time to be kind to yourself, to forgive yourself, to recognize you went through a hell of a year and you did your best. They’re never of any benefit anyway, but definitely not now. Let go of any self-recriminating thoughts. If you’re a parent that went through home daycare or homeschooling, give yourself two hugs. Even if your PTSE symptom is brain fog and mental exhaustion, let yourself off the hook. Whatever post-pandemic response you’re feeling right now, give yourself a big ol’ break. There are some coping methods at your immediate disposal, as well, that can help with any PTSE you might be experiencing.įor Starters, Self-Compassion Is Key Right Now There is no shame to be had, and there is no specific emotional recovery time-frame to adhere to. So the first step to post-pandemic emotional recovery is to have self-awareness that it is totally normal and expected to be experiencing the effects of trauma at this stage. Underlying feelings like grief, uncertainty, dissatisfaction with life (as priorities have shifted) might now be showing up this is the normal course of trauma. It’s completely normal that now would be the time for post-pandemic responses to surface. The world is struggling and some might be feeling shame for lingering stress or sadness or any form of post-traumatic response, but this is exactly when the feelings would happen. From the seemingly never-ending housing crisis to random gym closures to the dilapidated mental health infrastructure, there is much work that still needs to be completed to improve the Dartmouth experience.When you look at the course of trauma, emerging from the fight/flight mode is when real symptoms start showing up. With that being said, there remain many frustrations that must be addressed. This is the first term that has felt entirely normal from the Homecoming bonfire to in-person classes, it is reminiscent of the Dartmouth I remember. Overall, I think the term was successful in reestablishing a relative sense of normalcy on campus. As the College updates and refreshes its policies for the new term, a keen eye to keeping in-person learning as intact as possible should prevail. Everyone has risen to the challenge, and relatively promising COVID-19 rates, combined with our general tenacity, has made for a successful term. It also hasn’t been a seamless transition to the year for students, as we reconcile the promise of this year with all of the loss of last year. Yes, professors have had to continue to adapt to a new classroom environment, retaining many of their online learning practices and adapting to the new challenges of the year. Even though I can only see half of my classmates’ and professors’ faces, the energy of being back in the classroom makes it all worth it. I only had two terms of in-person learning before COVID-19 hit, but I never truly appreciated how much I valued it until this term. Students and professors alike have made in-person learning one of the most rewarding experiences of the year. As the College goes forward, I hope they remember that technology cannot and should not be a solution for everything, and in-person human interaction has to be prioritized in every realm possible. Virtual learning acted as a barrier to this, but my interpersonal connections have increased in both frequency and depth since its cessation. Being in-person forces small social interactions and gatherings that simply ceased to exist in the height of the pandemic. While time is difficult to manage at Dartmouth, I have found that my time has been spent better this term. I felt like I barely had any time my freshman year, and going back to in person seemed like it would only make time a rarer commodity. Now, we want to ask: What were some of the most successful parts of the fall term? How should the various successes and failures of this term inform the College’s actions going forward?Ĭoming into the term, I was nervous about the transition back to in-person classes. In an Opinion Asks published earlier this term, we asked what writers perceived to be the largest challenges of the term. Prompt: As the fall term begins to draw to a close, marking the end of Dartmouth’s first in-person term since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it is important to reflect on the term.
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