COVID-19 crisis is a crash course in coping skills for many students

By Dalton Renshaw and Marcus Lamb

For many university students, keeping up with classes, work and social obligations can be stressful enough. Now, students are trying to do all of that while dealing with the stresses of life in a time of pandemic, too — and without the same resources they typically have on campus.

“The hardest part for me is the lack of structure and schedule I have now,” said Alek Nelson, one of thousands of Utah State University students who moved back home once classes were moved to an online format. “Before, I always knew what I was doing, what time it was and where I needed to be.”

The shift has been hard on his mental health.  

“I've been doing yoga and meditation in the mornings and walking around to help with anxiety,” he said.

Nelson feels fortunate that his job allowed him to work from home and remain isolated from the public. Others don’t have that same luxury. 

Sydney Dahle had to make the tough decision to move back to St. Louis, where she has recommenced her previous job at Target.

“Being amongst a pandemic is even scarier when I’m back working at a grocery store where people are all around me every day,” Dahle said. “I’m having to work a lot of hours because many people are quitting or staying home because of the pandemic. Unfortunately, that has meant my schoolwork has been on the back burner and I haven’t been doing very well.”

This has also led to a decline in her overall mental health wellness.

“I haven’t really been keeping my mental health in check because I’m working three jobs and doing school,” she said. 

Utah State offers mental health services to its students at the Logan and USU Eastern campuses through Counseling and Psychological Services, most of which are free of charge. Like most other programs on campus, however, CAPS had to make a shift to a completely online format.

Office manager Kailee Benson said CAPS has had some success connecting with students in the new format, but the shift has nonetheless been a challenge.

“We do have sources online for the students to use,” Benson said. “For new patients and long-term ones, they can contact us by phone, of course, or by Zoom telehealth sessions. If they want to set up an appointment, they can call us as well. But if they aren’t close to the campus at all then we recommend looking for assistance closer to their home.”

While Utah State’s mental health resources are available to students out of state, Dahle said she had not used them.

“I think honestly at this point, the Utah State resources wouldn’t benefit me and I wouldn't have time for therapy or anything like that,” she said. “It’s mostly just me trying to remind myself to slow down and use what methods I learned from therapy previously.”