Quarantine leads to self discovery
The pandemic has changed all of our lives. We have all struggled in ways we might have never imagined. But there is always a silver lining. Some have made incredible self discoveries, and all this free time has given them the opportunity to go soul searching.
Junior Jessie Jerome explains that they have struggled with mental illnesses all of their life, and were worried about quarantine affecting their mental health negatively.
“The beginning (of quarantine) for me was a lot like my summers because my summers are when I get these pretty bad episodes. I have a lot of different mental illnesses and because I don’t go to school, I don’t do anything. And so over the summer I was doing the same thing, laying in bed all day,” Jerome said.
But then Jerome started to read more stories on the news, becoming more aware and forming their own political ideology. Jerome grew interested in punk culture when they realized that a band they liked called AJJ was a folk-punk band.
Through TikTok Jerome met older punk fans and learned about the activism behind punk culture and its history.
“A lot of punks are anarchists. We don’t want to put our money into these corporations. So you make everything yourself or you buy from other punks,” Jerome said.
Jerome began making their own clothes too and face masks out of balaclavas.
Jerome’s confidence increased as their interest in this newfound hobby and community developed. From there their mental health improved.
Jerome’s confidence increased as their interest in this newfound hobby and community developed. From there their mental health improved.
“I started on my patch pants, which are a thing in punk culture, where you put a bunch of band patches, shoes, political patches, or just stuff on your pants.” Jerome said.
“I used to be so shy. I wouldn’t even think about wearing anything that I wear, you know, in public, but now I just go walk in and go hang out. I didn’t really have a fashion sense or a sense of self, but now it’s given me a community. It’s given me a lot,” Jerome said.
Like Jerome, Junior Melisa Ortega-Carrillo also used all this time to her advantage. She explains that she felt broken at the beginning of quarantine, lacking motivation.
“I used to be really insecure about myself. Like, one of my biggest insecurities was my body because when I went to depression, I got so skinny. I thought it was normal,” Ortega-Carrillo said.
While quarantining she started to evaluate herself. Ortega-Carrillo realized that being unhappy and discontent was not normal and that she needed to heal. She embarked on a spiritual journey and created a garden filled with spiritual healing crystals.
“Crystals represent different things. For example rose quartz can represent affection and love. I remember when I bought it the lady told me ‘it’s a very powerful energy and it removes toxins from your life,’” Ortega-Carrillo said.
She set up a little garden filled with items that reminded her of her healing process, decorating it with crystals, buddha statues and plants. She started meditating, and slowly but surely she regained herself.
“I feel like it just started to drain that negativity away from me when I would meditate and I would manifest things for myself. And it felt like relief. It’s like if you have ever wanted to tell a secret and when you finally tell it your chest just feels lightweight,” Ortega-Carrillo said.
When Ortega-Carrillo looks back on where she was before the pandemic, she’s grateful for the changes.
“I probably would have still been in the most toxic part of my life. I feel like COVID did bring confidence into me. I cried right when it turned 2021 because to me 2020 was a year where it just like destroyed me mentally and physically. But it also built me up mentally and physically,” Oretga-Carrillo said.
