Author: Jade Caparoso

ENTRY FOR “39^TH FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES COLLEGE (CAGAYAN DE ORO)” INTER DEPARTAMENTAL ESSAY WRITING CONTEST that won 2nd Place.

The new normal phase is indeed a fact of life. It comes with a lot of questions, does change is easy? Sudden and rapid change is the kind of life we are living through today. All of us knew that it is really hard but if we train ourselves to improve ourselves, then what’s hard becomes what’s easy.

In this trying times of uncertainties, one of the greatly affected sector of pandemic are the students. The COVID-19 introduced uncertainties into the major aspect of both national and global aspects including the schools. There is uncertainty about how schools impacted student’s achievements that greatly causes lots of setbacks and mental health issues.

The agony and prolonging challenges has been the burden of each students since this situation is unexpected. Aside from experiencing difficulties in learnings, we students experienced anxiety and depressions since this pandemic has started. Included fears and worries including their own health and love ones has resulted to difficulty of concentrations and drive. The distraction of sleeping patterns has observed that has decreased the social interactions of each learners. Recently, we heard on different local news stations about students who committed suicide due to stress over family and school.

Is this what we call new normal? How long are we going to suffer? How many lives has to lose in order to achieve changes? Who will amplify student’s voices for their concerns and worries? How will this situation ends?

As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month on October, I want to spread awareness to each and every learners like me who were struggling in this trying time of pandemic. Every challenges, fall-backs and uncertainties we go through in our daily lives serves as our guiding principle towards the summit of realization.

I just also hope that family members are also more considerate with what we go through because it is really not easy. We have task, activities, modules and assignments to fulfil that has to be submitted in a short period of time. We should not stress these learners with household task because we are bounded with both of our academic and household responsibilities. Yes! We can multi-task but not everyone has the capacity to do it.

Our peers, families and relatives should also understand the weight of what we are going through in this new normal phase. Despite that we are trying to be adaptive but every tick of the clock counts. Added stress from that is the internet connections since not everyone is blessed with high speed internet and fast connections.

As I have asked one of my classmate the other day, what stresses you in this new normal academic phase?  I was shocked with her response “the teacher!”

This made me realized that despite that you have high speed internet nor supportive family, it is always necessary to have a healthy and equitable learning ground for virtual students in this generations. Like your families, teachers should always be considerate as well with different mental capabilities and different status of life because I, first hand experienced the hardship of this new normal phase especially living in the rural area where you have to balance everything.

Our health especially our mental health is always our wealth. Despite the challenges and hardship we encounter in our daily lives, we should always see situations with a silver lining. Whatever we are going through right now, it doesn’t mean that we will going to be like this till we die because every circumstances has always its end. We should always look the brighter side of every aspects because at the end of the day, there’s always a rainbow after the rain.

Lastly, I also want to address to every students out there that what you are going through right now and how you are feeling right now is valid and you should always seek someone to talk to and share your thoughts and feelings with. An outlet where you can voice out your emotions and fears.

We should also not forget to ask guidance to our God, Almighty Father because he listens, he understands and most especially he finds and gives lights towards overcoming any adversities we are going through because I always believe that it is not the strongest of the species that survives not the most intelligent one, but only the one who is responsive and adaptive for change.