How “Normal” Became Uncomfortable: Mental Health Post Pandemic

The last two years have been an extremely trying time for everyone. As the world steadily returns to some semblance of “normal”, schools, in particular, have tried to “go on” as if the last two years are something of the past. There have been many explorations into the effects that learning during the pandemic has had on student mental health. However, the effects of our grand return to normalcy have received far less attention, perhaps because of a well-meaning but misplaced pollyannic positivity. 

While trying to research this topic, I was disappointed to find that there is not much on this subject, which, in part, confirms my thesis. With most research focusing on the social anxiety that many students struggle with as they face the big return, the actual impact of it is overlooked. I took it upon myself to take a deeper look into student life at Havergal post-pandemic to see how the return has affected work habits, social life, and general mental wellbeing. I spoke with a cross-section of students in both the middle and upper school about their experiences being back at Havergal. 

The question I posed to students was one that I have asked myself repeatedly: did coming back to school, full force, overwhelm students at Havergal? Over the pandemic, though students experienced a loss of social interaction and any number of disruptions to their daily lives, they also experienced shorter school days, more agency, and self-guided lessons. Loneliness and depression became normal, with many finding comfort, somewhat ironically, in the solitude and control offered by the pandemic world. Throughout this time, students created a fragile “new normal,”, and any change to that new reality now can be disruptive to their mental state. While speaking to a fellow grade 11 student, we discussed how the shift back to full-time, in-person learning was startling and overwhelming in many ways. The rush to bring everyone back full-time was done under the assumption that it would, at some level, “fix” or at least begin to heal the damage done to students' mental states. This assumption made sense in that, as mentioned above, at-home learning is generally understood as a central cause of many students’ struggle with mental health. However, the error was to assume that students are in the same place mentally as they were when the pandemic first started and thus as prepared and desirous of in-person learning as before the pandemic. I myself believed that being back at school would help but quickly found that was not the case. 

The return was staggering. The bustle of the hallways, once familiar, was now unsettling; the long classes that used to stimulate, now seemed drawn out; lunch, which was once a needed break, now seemed like something else to get through…. On a personal level, by the time I got home, my usual routine of sports and work seemed impossible due to my lack of energy. Though my experience is not a universal one, I did find patterns of concern regarding our return amongst students. While speaking to students in the middle school, they revealed that the return came with levels of work they had never experienced before. This is normal for students entering middle school; however, coupled with the challenges of readjustment as well as new Covid restrictions, the work seemed overwhelming. Others found that the in-person testing came with new unease, having become accustomed to taking tests from the comfort of their home for the last year and a half. This led to the underperformance of many students and feelings of insecurity about their abilities. A form of this adversity played out, to varying degrees, throughout most of the school. Grade 11 students found themselves facing university applications along with the readjustments. With the first university meeting being held within the first week back, students were caught off guard, with many not having thought about university applications to the extent they otherwise would have due to online school and the lack of exposure to Havergal’s regular university preparations. Another dynamic I noticed while conducting my own research was the well-meaning pressure many students felt from the school to engage in extracurriculars. The onslaught of encouragement for students to either join a club, sport, or creative endeavor at Havergal within the first few months was stressful to many. Once again, this encouragement came from a place of care and consideration, with many just wanting students to jump into the opportunities they have sadly missed out on the last couple of years. However, this left many students feeling inadequate for not joining, while others joined but quickly found they were not yet ready to handle “so much” right off the bat. Parents were also encouraging their children to join extracurriculars. With the speedy return to “normal,” students are still struggling to find time to adjust back to the beloved community that is Havergal.

As a community, Havergal would be well-served to adjust their outlook on student life. “Normal” learning as of right now at least is no longer the comfort it once was, and being back in person is not the panacea to the mental health issues that arose due to the pandemic. Students need to know that they are not “abnormal” in feeling uncomfortable in adjusting to this post-pandemic world. They shouldn’t feel ashamed or pressured in their continued struggle and should know that the Havergal community wants to support everyone to the best of their abilities, and that, just like us, they are facing something completely unprecedented. You are not alone, you are not failing by continuing to struggle, and you should not be afraid to say so and ask for help. This has been an extremely difficult time for everyone, and it will continue to be for a long while, even if the world is “normal” once again.