Amidst COVID-19, Flagler Students Notice Changes in Mental Health

By Chloe Wheeler

The global pandemic has had a considerable affect on student’s mental health at Flagler College.

Lindsay Anderson, a senior at Flagler College, has noticed a decline in her fellow classmate’s morale this semester.

“It added a whole new layer of stress and anxiety to what a college student is normally facing,” Anderson said.

She even is starting to observe changes in her own behaviors.

“It’s a lot harder to get out of bed.” Anderson said.

In an effort to stay on top of her mental health, Anderson practices various forms of self-care.

“I’ll go weeks eating healthier, making meals at home and attempting some sort of exercise or yoga,” Anderson said.

However, some weeks are more difficult to manage.

“Then, I’ll switch up and I’m constantly eating out, not buying groceries, drinking a little more wine than I probably should,” Anderson said.

In addition, she acknowledged that her social media usage had increased in an unhealthy way since the pandemic hit in March, so to combat that, she simply deleted the apps off her phone.

“I just need to remind myself that there are so many better things I could be doing than just sitting on my phone,” Anderson said.

Despite the great self-care mechanisms that Anderson uses, sometimes it still isn’t enough, which is why Flagler College provides free mental health services to its students.

Rachel Moran-Brown, a licensed mental health counselor at Flagler College, has noticed a shift in mental health as well, including an increase in anxiety and depression amongst students.

“People that have had no symptoms of anxiety or depression can start to have anxiety attacks,” Moran-Brown said.

Moran-Brown encourages anyone to reach out to the Counseling Center at Flagler if they’re struggling with mental health.

“Send us an email at counseling@flagler.edu. We are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday,” Moran-Brown said.