March of last year is when Ohio’s first official stay at home order was required. With Covid cases in our state at an all time high, Governor DeWine called for this order to hopefully slow the spread of the virus. However, his attempts did not prevail with cases in Ohio more than doubling since March of 2020.

Quarantine during this pandemic has been a unique experience for everyone.

Personally, we have heard friends and family say everything from worst case scenario to best. Some people say the solidarity of it all has been driving them mad, and others say it has been an eye awakening experience that has taught them more about themselves than they ever knew before.

Solidarity has been proven to be helpful, to an extent. Taking time for meditation is great for your mental health and overall well being, while on the other hand not physically being with loved ones for long periods of time can be draining and take a toll on a person.  How has this experience affected two teenage girls from the same high school? 

Katie: Personally, spending a year in quarantine has been both a blessing and a curse for me. In the beginning, like many others, I believed it to just be a two week break off of school. I had no clue I would be spending my entire Sophomore year from my home computer.

At first, not seeing my friends and family was hard on me. I am very close with my grandparents, and it was at times overwhelming to think  that I was unable to see them because of the fear of giving them the virus. Eventually, throughout the summer, I was able to see some family and friends. We would spend time outside together or go somewhere together with masks on, and when the school year started back up again, I was already used to completing assignments online. Quarantine has also brought me closer to some people and caused me to make some new friends. So, it really has not been all bad.

More recently, we got a puppy, so I have been occupied with her most of the time. Now, I find the solidarity of being at home soothing. I take time everyday to meditate, exercise, and take the dogs on a walk. These are all things I could not do on a daily basis before staying at home. Meditation is something that I discover through quarantine, and it has helped tremendously with the stress that Covid-19  has brought on. It has helped me to think of it in a more positive light. If you are struggling mentally, I strongly suggest taking eight minutes every day to meditate.

At first, I was only able to for eight minutes, and when I started to get better at it, I worked my way up to 20 minutes.

As of now, I am content with staying home with my family and spending time with friends Via facetime and Discord, and have even picked up some new hobbies. 

Ashley: It’s disappointing but not shocking; summer gave me a false sense of hope because it kind of died down until about August then numbers skyrocketed again . Online learning has been a blessing for me as I was easily distracted by peers when in a classroom setting.

Quarantine has taught me to be much more independent with my studies which I feel has best prepared me for when I attend college. I was lucky enough to only be out of work for 2 months before the Y opened back up and being able to go to work and see people has definitely helped me maintain my sanity.

The hardest part as a senior has been not being able to tour colleges as most of them are not doing in person tours. Other than that, I have enjoyed the alone time and feel it has helped me grow as a person. I am a bit remorseful that I will most likely never have a “normal” prom or graduation, but I have come to terms with it. 

As you can see, with everything the two of us  have in common, quarantine can still affect similar people in very different ways and in very similar ways. Quarantine has been a unique experience for us all and has taught us some valuable lessons. Coming to terms with this new normal has made the rapidly changing state of the world easier to handle and it is important to take things on a day to day basis during these unprecedented times.