Mustangs share positive impact of social distancing

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Arnold Angelo Aureo, Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic brought massive changes in our lives. We were forced to isolate out of safety which impacted relationships with friends and family. This year of isolation has given us time to reflect on relationships and circumstances.

Many people found they had time to try new hobbies and achieve goals. Junior Nicholas Newkirk said he vastly improved his mental and physical health due to having so much free time.

“I always wanted to become more fit and strong, so I decided to start by running two miles a day and eating more properly to lose weight,” Newkirk said. “I started to read books about finance, philosophy and self help which helped me learn how to conversate with people, achieve what I desire, get things done, and overall acquire my vision of success.”

The distance created by the pandemic made it hard for a lot of us to spend time with our loved ones. Senior Deja Hilliard said that this forced her to be more creative with communicating with her friends.

“One of my friends likes throwing parties for Halloween, but we obviously couldn’t this year,” Hilliard said. “Instead, we had a virtual get together where we played Pictionary, watched part of a movie and then ate together.”

Hilliard also said the quarantine gave her an opportunity to spend more time with and grow closer to her family–especially her parents.

“Since I do not feel tired as much as I would feel in face-to-face school, I was able to spend more time with my parents,” Hilliard said. “We are able to talk about various topics about school and sometimes play board games. If there is something positive that I have taken from the pandemic, it’s definitely that I have gotten closer to my family and friends.”

Digital design teacher Paul Hawkins also said the quarantine made him closer to his family. He started writing letters–a lost art of communication.
“During the pandemic, my sister and I wrote thank you letters to each other,” Hawkins said. “This evolved into full-fledged letters where I was talking about my everyday life and describing every little detail. It helps to feel better when you write down what you are feeling and send it to someone you miss.”