Nowadays, people often talk about how good life was especially before the years of 2020. Some might call it nostalgia, others might say it was because we were in our childhood, but what if it was the effects of a national lock down during our most fundamental social years?
Isolation and Loneliness
Being cut off from friends, classmates, and important people who were apart of their daily lives contributed to a rising number of isolation and loneliness among adolescents and children. The absence of social interactions was something that could not be replaced digitally that could have impacted their self identity.
Increased anxiety and depression
Children and Adolescents rely on school to provide opportunities for socialization and emotional support from their classmates and teachers. When the pandemic closed schools, students lost these resources. This disruption can be linked to higher levels of anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, and sleep problems found in youth during that time compared to them during pre-lockdown times.
Life style
With the lockdown and having to stay indoors, there was a dramatic shift in daily habits. Most things could not be done in-person so youths increased their screen times dramatically, whether it was for school, entertainment, or socializing. This dramatic shift combined with reduced physical activity and an irregular sleep schedule could have been linked to many emotional difficulties.
While a lot of things have changed in the past 6 years, some of these habits and effects have stuck with a lot of people that went through the pandemic. For youth especially, it shaped the way they cope with stress, socialize, and regulate their emotions, and made young people feel more comfortable with being isolated.