The two-week campus quarantine has certainly had impacts on in-person events and classes, but also on the mental health of students. On Monday afternoon, students tuned in online to listen to Dr. Renee Patton, a Bradley staff counselor, as she gave a presentation on feeling fatigued and how it affects mental health.
The purpose of the workshop was to help students gain awareness of how to get help for mental health during quarantine and over the next months of the pandemic.
According to Patton, fatigue and exhaustion and having less motivation can strain student’s coping skills. It is caused by loss of sleep, worry, overwork and illness.
Wesley Diaz, a junior civil engineering major, dealt with fatigue in addition COVID-19 throughout quarantine.
“The tiredness and fatigue made it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and stay awake
during my morning classes, regardless of the amount of sleep I got, ” Diaz said. “This also tied into the body aches [from COVID-19] that I was having.”
During the 30-minute conversation, Patton spoke of the five pillars of resilience and how keeping up with these points can help students with their mental health while feeling unmotivated: self-awareness, purpose, mindfulness, relationships and self care.
She said students should ask themselves how they were feeling when they wake up. She also suggested students who are alone in their dorm or apartment should keep connected with friends or family by Facetime, messaging or on other social media platforms.
“We want you to keep moving,” Patton said. “We want you to be self-aware. Every morning when you wake up, I want you to wake up and do a little self-check-in and see where you are on this scale, ‘Am I a five or a six. What can I do to bump that up to a seven?’”
Apps available for balancing mental health include Breathe, Calm and Headspace. All have free options, but some have an extra fee or can be paid for with a student discount.
There will be another workshop next week held for those who did not make this workshop. For additional help or advice, contact rpatton@fsmail.bradley.edu or call her office (309) 677-4075.
