Caitlin Nevins, the director of psychological services in McLean’s College Mental Health Program, offers college students tips on how to cope with the Covid-19 and social distancing. Here are a couple of tips from the McLean hospital website.

• Validate the Experience
• Maintain Structure as Much as Possible
• Make it easy to reach out for support
• Be mindful of Exposure to the news
• Most importantly, stay connected

Students from IVCC have taken different approaches and some are enjoying the social distancing.

IVCC student, Devin Cook said, since social distancing, I have been catching up on some Netflix series and getting homework done in advance. It’s kind of nice. When all this first started, I had a hard time transferring to this way of living because I’m a pretty outgoing person and like to be in public.”

It seems like the most popular thing to do while social distancing is to watch Netflix, play games with the family and some students have been working out more.

            Christian Perry, an IVCC student, said “I have been working out so much since the coronavirus put a lockdown on us. I have been going on runs every morning. It’s a stress reliever and helps me get through each day. Some other things I have been doing is studying more, playing video games, and have done a lot of cooking.” 

When asked how the adjustment has been since the lockdown, Perry replied, “It wasn’t that hard to get use to the whole staying inside because I normally like to lay low.”

            Mpumelelo Maphumulo, an IVCC student from South Africa, said, “I’ve just been home spending time with family. This has taken my mind off things since we are on lockdown.”

            “Having time to spend studying and bettering my life has been an uplifting feeling, I have taken this negative and tried to turn it into a positive”. Said Clay Wells, an IVCC student, when asked what he has been doing during this time of uncertainty.