The COVID-19 pandemic has left students facing numerous uncertainty about classes, graduation, housing and more. The uncertainty has taken a toll on their mental health as they find ways to cope with the sudden life change.

“Because of all this, I feel very distant from everything,” senior art major Kayla Powell said. “I never got to say goodbye to anyone and so that’s another mental block in it. We expected to see each other in like a month and now who knows when we’ll see each other again.”

The university moved all classes online for the rest of the semester beginning March 23. Students were asked to move out of their campus apartments and dorms by March 22.

The quick turnaround put more stress on Powell as she rushed back to campus from Martinsville with her parents to pack for nearly nine hours. 

“We almost ran out of room in my car to bring stuff back and it was kind of frustrating and even my family was like ‘this is really chaotic and hard,’” she said. “Especially since we’ve only had notice since (March 17) to get this out of here, it was just very frantic and it was almost kind of scary because everything about this is scary.”

Powell said she was going to go to the Counseling Center once she returned from Spring Break, but never had the opportunity.

She said Martinsville has mental health resources but it takes months for an assessment and she doesn’t have the money to pay for sessions.

Her biggest fear is she won’t stay motivated while working on assignments at home.

“My fear is that I won’t do my work, because home equals relaxation, Animal Crossing, you know, having fun not worrying about anything,” she said. “It would be different if I was graduated maybe trying to find a job, but it’s this weird in-between moment where I can’t really go find a job because nothing is open.”

The Counseling Center is finding a way to continue sessions without compromising the privacy of what is said in those sessions. Thomas Longwell, director of the Counseling Center, said he’s hoping to start sessions again next week through Zoom. 

“We have done some education ourselves and are learning to be better telemental health clinicians,” Longwell siad. “So we’ve done a lot of training on our end in that regard. So largely at this point, there’s a few more technological challenges to overcome.”

He said he’s hoping to start sessions again next week, but they will only be able to help students from Indiana and Kentucky.

“We’re able to offer it in Kentucky because we do have one of our clinicians that is currently licensed in the state of Kentucky,” he said. “If a student is needing counseling, they can call us on our main line. Our administrative assistant is still answering that phone number.”

Longwell said social distancing can cause anxiety and depression in everyone, but nobody has to sacrifice their mental health.

“Try to do the things that give you a sense of connection with your fellow human beings,” he said. “If you are connecting through social media, that’s great. But if you can, and it’s healthy to do so, then go for a walk.”

Longwell said he is hoping the counseling center can branch out into the surrounding areas during this time.

The Counseling Center’s phone number is (812) 464-1867 and they can also be reached at [email protected]. 

“It’s been a hard experience, been a hard thing to go through,” senior political science major Max Gee said. “Everything’s moving online and it’s heartbreaking, honestly.”

Gee said he’s in shock knowing he’ll never again get to have lunch with his friends and fraternity brothers who are graduating this spring.

He said being back home in Hanover, Indiana has not been the best situation as he had to clean his room out that had been turned into a closet.

“Overall, my mental health is definitely staggered being back home and being away from my friends,” he said. “I think not having a social life in person is something that I really need to have in my life.”

Gee said he plans to go to law school after he graduates in December, which is keeping him motivated to complete his schoolwork this semester.

“I mean, it’s definitely a struggle,” he said. “I’m trying to stay focused on my future goals, my future plans and what I want to do.”