Our Communications Crew Shares Their Thoughts
By: Amber S., Milton Youth Action Team
April 17, 2020
As much as I am willing to take the necessary precautions and stay inside for the safety of myself, my loved ones, neighbours and all of the essential workers, this quarantine has been testing my limits. I am definitely an extroverted person who enjoys spending time with her friends and meeting new people at events. To be completely honest, I miss school. I miss the routine of having to wake up at set time every day for school and having to proactively manage my time in between extracurricular activities, family and homework. All of a sudden, everything I used to enjoy has now been deemed a danger to my health. These changes, all happening so quickly could make anyone go crazy. I, however, have decided that I will not let that happen to me. In order to deal with the craziness and dysfunction happening in the world and in my own life right now, I have developed a sort of daily routine for myself. Managing my sleep schedule and ensuring I am eating healthy, getting physical exercise daily and am completing my homework on time has helped me feel like there is still some sort of order in my life. I have also found that the extra time I have in quarantine has allowed me to focus on my hobbies and things I am passionate about, such as fashion design, painting and baking. I fully understand that remaining productive and/or positive in trying times such as this can be much more difficult for some people than it is for others. It is important to remember, however, that we are all in this together. While it is amazing that some people can continue to be business-as-usual during this time, it is also completely okay if getting out of bed today and taking a shower was all you could do. Everyone deals with things differently, and just because your version of productivity looks different than someone else’s, it does not make it any more or less valid. Having a positive mindset during times like this might be hard, but it is so important to make the best of every situation. To the people who are having a hard time right now, please remember that there are people who care about you and want to listen to you and help you through whatever you are dealing with. If seeing the streets and parks empty frightens you, I would advise you to look at it in a different way. Streets and parks are deserted out of love. Love for our families, neighbours, grocery store workers, nurses, doctors and all essential workers is what is keeping us inside. The streets are empty because we care about one another and wish for this pandemic to be over as soon as possible.
It makes me unbelievably sad to think about all of the people who are suffering because of COVID-19. This sadness, however, is not as great as the feeling of gratitude I have for all of our essential workers, and it definitely is not greater than the love I have for my community. Please stay inside and stay safe. The sooner we all listen to the government and follow safety precautions, the sooner this will all be over.
Here are pictures of some of the art I have worked on during quarantine!
Kids Help Phone is always available for support at 1-800-668-6868 and kidshelpphone.ca
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