Looking Back on 2 Years of COVID
Around this time two years ago was the last time I was on campus for a class.
I remember feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as I was driving to class that day. It seemed to come out of nowhere. News of the Coronavirus was beginning to circulate more and more in the United States, but it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind as it would be in the following weeks (and years). A few days later I was working at my (now old) job as a school janitor, and I was told that school was going to close for a while and that my coworkers and I needed to disinfect everything. We had a bunch of Lysol spray in our closet and there was not a single surface in that building that was not sprayed down. Let me tell you, when a pandemic is looming over you, cleaning products start to smell great.
As time went on, my anxiety was getting worse and worse. I was hardly sleeping, my driving anxiety was at a point where I could barely even sit in a car for more than a few minutes without feeling like the world was crashing down around me. I was constantly on edge, always feeling like I was seconds away from a panic attack. Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to look for a therapist.
I’ve mentioned my therapist on here many times (shout out to Sarah). She’s helped me tremendously over the last two years, not least by referring me to a doctor to get prescribed medication for my anxiety. Despite having to up the dose once, the meds have honestly changed my life. I would not be where I am today with them.
Flash forward to today. I’ve been on meds for nearly two years, I’ve been working my retail job for almost a year and a half. It’s been a long, hard process, but I’ve grown a lot.
Now, this is very important: If all you’ve done is survived for the last two years, I’m extremely proud of you. I don’t know what you’ve been through but I know how hard things have been for everyone.
Keep going. It might not get easier any time soon, but I promise it will be worth it when you get there.
I’m rooting for you, always.
—Abbie
