Students struggle with stress, anxiety as final exams begin amid pandemic

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) — Exams have started for some students at Simon Fraser University, which can be stressful during the best of times — but even more so during a pandemic. 

Gabe Liosis is with the Simon Fraser Student Society and says many students are struggling with isolation in addition to the usual pressures. 

His advice; don’t be too hard on yourself, schedule breaks when you’re studying, and try to get outside for your mental health. 

“The pandemic has changed learning quite a lot. When we think of post-secondary education — it was created to occur on a physical campus. And now that that isn’t the case anymore. I think students are really struggling with the lack of social interaction and face-to-face interaction in the classroom,” he says.

“It can be really hard for students to be in a Zoom lecture for two, three, or four or five hours straight during the day. It’s really hard to get yourself to focus and to, frankly, motivate yourself to want to log on to Zoom every day. Especially when you know you’re sitting at your desk every day of the week, and not really getting that change of scenery that we’re so used to. It’s just a completely different ball game.” 

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Liosis adds he wants students to know that they’re not alone if they are having a hard time coping.

“Be honest about the mental health challenges that you’re experiencing, and share those stories, because more often than not, you’re not alone and other students are facing those challenges as well.”

As for a return to campus in the fall, Liosis says there is a lot of uncertainty. 

“I think that the rising number and COVID cases especially it’s causing a lot of anxiety, and people are wondering whether or not a return to campus is actually something that we should be even considering right now. It might be easier for domestic students to return to campus in the fall, but I think there’s still a lot of logistical concerns,” he says. “There are just a lot of unanswered questions right now that are causing a lot of anxiety for students and it’s causing a lot of apprehensions to return to campus.”

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