Students at TAGOS Leadership in Academy in Janesville are creating digital journals to document changes in their personal lives, their community, the country and the world relating to COVID-19 – contributing important records during this historic time. View all posts.

Thursday, April 9, 2020

The widespread fear of the coronavirus has shifted the world in a predictable manner: panic. Stores are filled with panic shoppers pushing carts filled with miscellaneous items deemed to have false importance such as toilet paper, facial masks, and hand sanitizer. Meanwhile, social circles of all varieties are being plagued with misinformation and panic.

While most homes are fraught with panic, my home has been able to keep calm during, too calm. In the beginning, when school had only recently shut down, my life had primarily remained the same; however, as time went on and the virus spread worsened, almost every store had closed which led to an increase in my already considerable boredom. So much so that I found myself browsing stores such as Hobby Lobby to stave off boredom.

My boredom was also alleviated by talking to friends who were experiencing the same boredom due to schools closing because of the virus; one of my friends even told me in certain words that the lack of human contact is having adverse effects on his mental health: “it’s so weird that just talking to you guys makes me feel … like mentally good.”