THOUGHTS OF STUDENTS IN THE ONGOING PANDEMIC

From schools to colleges, the development of young minds in physical proximity halted abruptly due to the pandemic and resulting lockdown. When education shifted from open classrooms to laptop screens, students had a range of thoughts, some positive and others intrusive.

Thoughts are mental cognitions that encompass a flow of ideas and associations that can lead to logical conclusions. Positive thinking is basically the practice of focusing on the good in any given situation. It can have a big impact on one’s physical and mental health. It simply means leading a life with an approach that the good and the bad things will go well. However, intrusive or negative thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, that seem to pop into the mind out of nowhere. People spend a lot of time thinking about negative situations, ruminating and replaying them. Scholars claimed 80 percent of our thoughts are negative, and 95 percent repetitive.

With online education in place and a lurking ambiguity, students had a range of thoughts.

• Being at home and with their family, students thought about their privileges and were thankful for them.
• Immigrant students who came back to live with their families thought about the level of security they received and were grateful for that.
• Some students were preoccupied with thoughts relating to the deadly virus and were scared for themselves and their loved ones.
• Initially, students had positive thoughts with regard to an extended holiday but over time these thoughts turned negative as students were confined to their homes.
• Students reported having excessive intrusive thoughts regarding their career which made them anxious and frustrated.
• Some students found it difficult to recognize immediate negative thoughts that made them feel agitated.
• Many individuals thought of the pandemic to be an opportunity to focus on their growth and development by getting involved in recreational activities like yoga, painting, etc.

To conclude, the pandemic has given everyone a lot of time to think which can sometimes be harmful. As students are vulnerable and lost due to unending uncertainty, managing intrusive thoughts can be very difficult. Negative thoughts can act as a catalyst and produce feelings of hopelessness that can further lead to chronic stress, which disturbs the body’s hormone balance, depletes the brain chemicals required for happiness, and damages the immune system.

Taking professional help from counselors and/or therapists can help in a variety of ways

• It can help understand one’s thinking style and detrimental thought patterns.
• One can learn how to recognize immediate negative thoughts.
• Professionals enable individuals to practise mindfulness and learn how to stop thinking negatively.
• Over time, individuals can learn how to manage thoughts in a healthy manner and prevent issues like anxiety, depression, etc.