Quarantine Quiet Time
The Fresh Start We All Needed?
Having her final year in high school cut short and first year in university inconvenienced by social restrictions and stay in-residence orders, Holly Brown, a second year FIMS student at Western University, fell victim to the pandemic’s brutally unapologetic social consequences.
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Pandemic or no pandemic, there’s immense pressure to put on your happy mask and show the outside world your best face. But when quarantine hit and fast-paced life came to an abrupt stop, Brown realized that having a good time meant something else: not drinking, partying nor being part of big fancy friend groups, but rather getting to know herself intuitively and cutting out what she describes as “the bullshit.”
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Despite the pandemic’s obligatory halt on socialization and productivity, Brown says she did learn a thing or two from quarantine quiet time: “It helped me build character, independence and slowed time for self-growth and maturity.” “I was forced to change my lifestyle and mindset, and I grew a greater sense of self-understanding in the process,” Brown says.
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Though on paper her ‘old’ life as a confident social butterfly made it seem she had it all, Brown admits she felt something was missing - and the pandemic showed her just what it was.
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After a tough first semester in university, Brown was diagnosed with general and social Anxiety. Mental health struggles, something that never seemed part of the itinerary for this popular, fun-loving, extroverted high school cheerleader with a great social life and a multitude of friends, was now an ironic reality for Brown. Feeling the pressure to be social all without compromising her health and safety, Brown says her mental health took a harder hit than she could have anticipated while in residence.
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“I grew so anxious and was basically non-functional in my studies. I needed to find some way to ground myself,” she explained. With her anxiety reaching its peak in January of her first year, Brown made the difficult decision to return home to Oakville, Ontario to get on a healthier routine for second semester.
Leaving her friends in residence and longing for a reset, a fresh start, Brown got a job as a Teller at TD Bank. “It was so nice to have a change of scenery and something for myself,” Brown says in response to questions about the impact of her job on her mental health and personal growth mindset.
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Brown says her new work environment made her feel comfortable and appreciated. “Working helped me calm down and escape pressures to hang out with people that weren't my people and do things I told myself I enjoyed but actually brought me more worry,” Brown says. This new work-life balance helped her cope with her anxiety and made her feel confident to go back to school this year.
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Supporting her decision to move back home from residence, Brown’s parents were proud to see their daughter find balance and a sense of independence. Brown’s father, Peter, noticed an improvement in his daughter’s academic performance, mood and participation in family life: “I am so happy to have seen her grow and mature in the way that she did. And the first step towards that was the initiative she took in creating a balanced routine to help her mental health. Way to go, Holly!” Peter Brown says.
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The pandemic allowed Brown room to find her balance; to learn about herself and ways to manage her anxiety. Brown says she can now better recognize and pull herself out of tough mental places before getting in too deep using her new coping strategies: “The gym and the bank are two new outlets I use to take out my stress and soothe my anxiety,” Brown says.
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After cutting out stress associated with keeping large social circles, pressure to party behind closed doors and feeling forced to hang out with people she didn't resonate with, Brown realized the important role the pandemic played in her personal growth and maturity. Despite her struggles with anxiety, moving home allowed her to work on herself; it gave her the quiet time and space to heal, grow and, as Brown says, “get [her] shit together.” “It was a total lifesaver.”