Episode 16: College Students: Moving Forward
Most college students ended 2020 with continued uncertainty. Normalcy has not returned to our college campuses — or our lives. For many students, the ongoing chaos of COVID-19 continues to cause (or add to) mental health challenges. In the first episode of 2020, we speak with April Estill Lomax, LCSW, and Michelle Howard, LCSW, of the University of Southern Mississippi's Student Counseling Center, about the state of mental health on college campuses and how students can prepare to come back this semester. Listen now below, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Rhes Low, Host:
Welcome to South of Fine, a podcast from My Track Medical Group dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental health in the South through genuine conversation about the challenges that we all face every day. For more information, please visit our website righttrackmedical.com\southoffine, but we hope you enjoy listening to our podcast. Please remember that this is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or for the treatment of any mental health condition.
Dr. Pannel, at the time that we last talked, COVID it dominated everything, in all ways, and really not much has changed. On those first episodes we spent ... Actually, by the way, how are you?
Dr. Katherine Pannel, Medical Director, Right Track Medical Group:
I'm good. Thank you.
Low:
Okay, good. Good
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah.
Low:
On those first episodes, we did spend a lot of time discussing the impact of COVID on our mental health. So, let's talk about that again as the first question, where do we stand as we think about things now with COVID and our mental health, do you think people have learned better coping strategies or are we still struggling through all this?
Dr. Pannel:
That's a good question, that is hard to answer because I think there are certain populations that are finally doing better, like our kids. I think for the most part, they're all back in school, I know mine have been back in school since August, all three of mine and no quarantines, no shutdowns, nothing. I think their mental health is much improved because that's what they needed. Their coping skills are immature. They don't really know how to employ those, but being around friends and having structure and normalcy, that was huge for them.
But I think the rest of us are still struggling despite probably even employing our best coping skills. I think there was a sense of false hope when ... Especially in Mississippi, when number started falling and our mask mandates were not renewed. I think we got a little bit hopeful and excited that this was the end of it, only to realize that no, we're still in the thick of it for a while and probably will be until a vaccine comes out.
Low:
Yeah, that's right on point. I couldn't articulate it that way, but I feel it as you said it. I mean, we're the thick of it and everything is affected by it and we are tripped up left and right because of it, it's gotten frustrating. And like you said, it's probably going to be our world for a while.
Dr. Pannel:
Yep. And there's massive COVID fatigue, mask fatigue, I think by and large, we're all just kind of over it really.
Low:
Yeah. Absolutely. I know, and I hate to say that because I know that people are struggling with illness from it, but I'm tired of it and I know you are. And I can speculate what these specific groups of people that in our population are struggling, but I want to hear it from a professional standpoint. So, what do you think, what specific groups of our population are having a harder time with this?
Dr. Pannel:
Like I said, the kids are doing better. I think a lot of normalcy has returned to the adult world as far as work, either they're coming back into their workplace or they're still working from home. So, I think that's gotten better, but I think two of the populations that are really still struggling, if not more, I know healthcare workers. I mean, the amount of burnout they must be experiencing, this has not slowed down for them. They are probably one of the hardest hit populations and it's not getting any better. And I think still, our elderly population, nothing has improved with COVID to the point where they can get back outside and socialize, especially in nursing homes, nothing's changed. They're still cut off from family, friends. So I think, healthcare workers and our elderly are still really struggling.
Low:
Yeah. And everything you mentioned in regard to the elderly, they need the same thing as everyone else, they need social. They need to [crosstalk 00:04:40]. They need to be moving or their bodies don't respond well.
Dr. Pannel:
Right.
Low:
And then, the healthcare, I forgot about that, Dr. Pannel, that's a really important point. These healthcare workers need our support more than ever.
Dr. Pannel:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Absolutely.
Low:
And I think that we have put them to the side a little bit in our thinking, because we've got so much other stuff going on. They are still in the thick of it. I'm just reiterating what you said because it's really important for our listeners to know that they need our support and now more than ever.
Dr. Pannel:
And I think what's sad too, is the elderly, I mean usually their main source of support is their family, same for healthcare workers, but elderly can't have their family around because the risk of catching COVID. But on the opposite end of that, healthcare workers are still not really being able to fully engage with their families because they don't want to spread it to their families. So, it's a lot of loneliness and isolation for both of those groups.
Low:
I have friends that are in the medical profession that are still living in their garage apartment-
Dr. Pannel:
Yes. Yep.
Low:
Cut off from their family, I mean, it's harsh.
Dr. Pannel:
Yep.
Low:
So, in this discussion, do you think that 2020 has changed how we are thinking about mental health?
Dr. Pannel:
I do. I think that it's given us a little more insight to how important good mental healthcare is. I think one of the probably positives of this whole pandemic is it's maybe reduced the stigma a little bit. I think, to some degree COVID has affected everybody mentally and I think they realize that nobody's immune to mental illness. We're all vulnerable and susceptible to mental illness and it is okay to seek help. I think more people are now seeking help, which if there's a good thing to say about COVID, that maybe is it.
Low:
There's always a light somewhere.
Dr. Pannel:
You've got to find it. Sometimes you have to search for it, but there is one, yes. Yeah.
Low:
That's right. From a layman's standpoint, I feel the same way. At the beginning of this, people were kind of ... didn't know what to think, turn their nose up, but mental health is part of our conversation now.
Dr. Pannel:
Yes, and I do love that part of it. Yeah.
Low:
Well, and you guys have been so good at pushing that agenda to break that stigma and this has really helped those efforts. Like you said, if a light can be shone in this mess. So, have there been any setbacks in regard to mental health, maybe the amount of work, the amount of people that are being affected?
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah. Well, so most of my patients ... And even my husband, Steven, he does addiction psychiatry. I think we're seeing patients that have been stable for a while, we're seeing some decompensation with them. More people are relapsing. My depressed patients are getting more depressed. I think we've slid backwards in that I'm seeing much more PTSD than I've ever seen and it's usually COVID related.
Low:
Oh, man.
Dr. Pannel:
So, I do think patients are probably struggling more, getting sicker more, but just back to what we were saying, they are seeking help more. Whereas before, like we've always talked about, one in five suffers but millions don't seek treatment. I think at least now they are seeking treatment for it.
Low:
That's great. That's great. We just actually did an episode on PTSD. I learned a lot. I didn't really-
Dr. Pannel:
It was a great episode. I listened too.
Low:
Oh, thank you. That's awesome. Yes, she was very articulate and succinct, I had to ... Because she knew it. Yeah. And I bring that point up so people will know PTSD can affect any part of your life. Let's see. So, we've kind of covered this, but I think it helps in defining the year and giving some articulation to it. So, what lessons have we learned about mental health this year?
Dr. Pannel:
I think that we have realized that mental health is an integral part of overall good physical health. I think that we're finally realizing that it's all interconnected and that we have to set aside time to take care of mental health just as we would physical health, and that self-care is huge for everybody. Finding good ways to tend to self-care, finding good ways to tend to your healthy coping skills, I think that's what we really have realized throughout this about mental health.
Low:
That's great. Yeah. I tell you, what I've learned is that there are normal everyday things that we call such as anxiety. I've never associated that with mental health, that is a mental health issue.
Dr. Pannel:
Yep.
Low:
That can lead to a lot of stronger issues, and that has been eyeopening to me because we as Southerners have typically thrown those to the side and said, "Oh, that [crosstalk 00:09:57]"
Dr. Pannel:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). That's part of life, get over it, it's life. Yeah.
Low:
Yeah. Yeah. Just fix it, you can do it.
Dr. Pannel:
Yep.
Low:
Just do it, it's so easy to be happy.
Dr. Pannel:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Low:
Yeah. So, that's been an eye opener for me, as I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. And another all encompassing theme, and maybe you can talk about this, is being with others and seeking out conversation with others, apparently that's really good for us.
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah. Humans are social creatures. I mean, by nature we're social creatures and I think that's another thing that people are realizing. Even my introverts are realizing that to some degree, everybody has to have socializations. I mean, that's just who we are. And we were talking about healthcare workers, they are really vulnerable to lack of social support and isolation and loneliness just by the nature of their job. And I think we're all realizing that we can have ... Even health workers, they see nurses, they see techs, just in passing and everything, but it's all about meaningful conversation. Even if it's virtually via Zoom or your telephone, we need to start having meaningful conversations, not superficial, but meaningful conversation, even if you can't be there in person, is huge as far as social support for us.
Low:
Yeah. That's a great point. Meaningful conversations, chatter, which is a lot of what happens, especially on social media.
Dr. Pannel:
I mean, yes, and that can be harmful to mental health, it's just the above surface chatter, bullying. We got to get away from that and just really focus on relationships and a meaningful conversation.
Low:
Yeah. So, in regard to ... Because we're talking about a wrap up of the year 2020, a lot of people are doing the new year's resolutions and that sort of thing. Is that a good way to think of it or do you have a better way that you explain that?
Dr. Pannel:
I don't know, I don't love a new year's resolution because I mean, they're really hard to keep, if you think about it. I mean, we usually give us the hardest thing to do to make our resolution, and oftentimes it kind of leads in disappointment. I mean really, if you really put up a specific one that's just really hard to attain. I mean, it can lead to disappointment and make you feel bad in the end. But I think just generally saying, "I'm going to work on myself for 2021. I'm going to do a better job of working on myself, my mental health." That's very broad and something that is attainable. You just seek to do better, you know?
Low:
Right. Yeah. Seek to do better and don't beat yourself up.
Dr. Pannel:
Exactly. Yes. We're all our hardest critic, ourselves ... We are the hardest critics that we have. We're so hard on ourselves, but give yourself a little grace, just work to do better.
Low:
Yeah. Yeah. That's a very awesome point. We talked about that in regard to holiday stress earlier, just give yourself permission to ... If you've had enough of your family, just walk out and-
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah. To go into your bedroom.
Low:
You don't have to stay there.
Dr. Pannel:
Yep. Yep.
Low:
And then, give them a little bit of grace. Don't talk about politics.
Dr. Pannel:
Oh God, no.
Low:
That might be a whole show [crosstalk 00:13:19].
Dr. Pannel:
Oh, that could be a whole nother podcast, how to deal with election stress.
Low:
We're not going to go down that hole. Yeah. I'm sure a lot of people are actually dealing ... Actually, that's a good point. There's a lot of people dealing with that right now. There's 2020. Yeah, it's been a fun year
Dr. Pannel:
Yep.
Low:
So, I'm looking at my script here and it says, ask you your personal resolutions for 2021, but I'm more interested in where you would like to see, on the shoulders of 2020, mental health profession go in 2021?
Dr. Pannel:
Well, I hope that this reduced stigma and this willingness to get treatment sticks around. I hope that when things get better, people don't start neglecting their mental health because all of a sudden things are better. I think mental health is an ongoing, ever-changing, ever-improving, something that you need to keep [inaudible 00:14:16] with for your entire life. It's such an integral part of everything, and I hope that for ... I do think things are going to get better in 2021. We're already looking at vaccines coming out, and I think it's going to get better, but I don't want us to forget where we were because I really think it spotlighted and put emphasis on how important mental healthcare is, and I hope that that will continue.
Low:
Yeah. And wouldn't you say mental health is synonymous with relationships? I have to ask you because I sometimes will say things that don't make any sense.
Dr. Pannel:
No, I mean, I think especially with my college females, they are always wanting to be in a relationship and they don't like to be by themselves. They always are looking ... Even when they break up, they're already ready to find another one. The thing is, is you're never going to have a healthy relationship until you yourself are healthy. I mean, you need to be happy with yourself individually so that you can contribute to a relationship, but be happy on your own as well.
Low:
Yes. And that's where I wanted to bring this back to is the self-analyzing, or maybe there's a softer way to put that. Just be aware of what's going on in your life by taking a little bit of time for yourself and understanding I'm lacking here, this is affecting me here. I think COVID, like you said, has brought all of that to light in 2020 and understanding that we actually like having relationships with others and need them as a part of our life, not just on a computer screen. So, it'll be fine. Is there anything that you would like to ...
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah. And I mean, I don't want to end it on a down, Debbie downer, pessimistic note, but I think it's important, 2020 is not over, especially in the mental health field. Winter is coming, like they say on Game of Thrones, winter is coming and a lot of people do poorly in the winter. We have the time change where it gets darker, so you're going to work and you're leaving in the dark. It's cold, so you spend more time indoors. People with seasonal affective already ... I mean, get ready because one of the things we encourage them to do is to get out and do things, don't stay cooped up in your house, but that's limited right now. So, continue to employ whatever healthy coping mechanisms you can. Add things like bright light therapy, whether it's the visor or the bright lights, but just be prepared that winter, it's hard for people that are struggling with mental illness and there may be some worsening before it gets better.
Low:
Yeah. So, we've basically got a perfect storm coming.
Dr. Pannel:
Absolutely. Yep.
Low:
So, your word is for everybody to be careful and care for themselves during the-
Dr. Pannel:
Yes. Everything that you have already tried to implement, continue, and you may even need to add a few things, but all in all, just take care of yourself. And when you've employed everything you can and it's still not working, go see somebody.
Low:
Yeah. Reach out.
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah.
Low:
Reach out was the old ... Was it AT&T or something? Reach out and touch someone.
Dr. Pannel:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Low:
That old telephone commercial. I mean, there's truth.
Dr. Pannel:
Yes. No doubt.
Low:
Everybody wants you to, we want you to be good, to be solid. Well, Dr. Pannel, as always quite a pleasure, and we're so happy that you're in Oxford specifically, but in Mississippi as a whole, advising and offering your help where people need it.
Dr. Pannel:
And thank you for being willing to be another outlet to spread that mental healthcare is okay, and being another place where stigma is being reduced. So, thank you.
Low:
Oh, absolutely. I've enjoyed it, and I've enjoyed all that I've learned this year in a very short span. We started in June, but it seems like that was a year ago.
Dr. Pannel:
Oh my gosh. It's the weirdest thing. I was talking about it with my friends, we're looking up, and we're like, "How is it already the holidays?" It feels like in some ways it flew by, but yet it also feels like this was the longest six months of our lives. It's just the most bizarre situation.
Low:
It really is, and I think, you kind of touched on it about our kids, they don't really comprehend what this is, but I never want them to have to comprehend what this is.
Dr. Pannel:
Oh, you and me both.
Low:
And I think that that's like what you guys keep talking about or what you're talking about, be careful because we've been in a hole, [inaudible 00:19:03] been trying to dig out of it and we can easily fall back in.
Dr. Pannel:
Yeah. It goes the same with psychiatric medications. I have so many people that get better on the medications and they'll come to me six months down the road and they're doing terrible. I'm like, "Well, what happened?" And they say, "Well, I felt better, so I stopped my medication." The reason why you were doing better is because of the medication. So, don't just stop it, continue what you're doing, maintain your mental health.
Low:
Yeah. There you go. That's a great way to end it. Yeah. Maintain your mental health.
Dr. Pannel:
There you go. We should make a hashtag.
Low:
Awesome. Well, thank you so much.
Dr. Pannel:
No, thank you.
Low:
Absolutely. It's a pleasure. Y'all have a good rest of the year.
If you have questions about mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic that you'd like our providers to answer on a future episode, please email southoffine@righttrackmedical.com. And if you'd like more information about Right Track Medical Group or the South of Fine podcast, please visit righttrackmedical.com. Thanks to our production team, Kelley Hunsberger, Caitlyn Clegg, Carol Ann Hughes, Aleka Battista, and Reese Lau. A special thanks to Squadcast for providing superior remote interview services.
Rhes Low, Host:
Welcome to 2021. I'm so glad we all made it to the other side. Today, guys, we're going to look back on the fall semester of 2020 for college students and discuss tools for them, as they move into the first semester of 2021.
When the 2020 fall semester did come to a close for students, there was still a lot of uncertainty, just as much as there were as in the beginning of this ordeal. And now that we have a vaccine, health uncertainties are waning, but all of us still face the challenges of COVID's wake and current reality.
For students, everything's been unconventional and new, but they've definitely learned a lot about how we prefer to function as humans. Students disagree on the merits of things like virtual learning, but they can all agree that being around each other is hugely important to a healthy college experience. And when that's taken away, college can seem less necessary and unhealthy traits such as grief, anxiety, and stress, they can creep into their personal worlds. So, let's talk about it.
So, to discuss all of this, we are joined by April Estill Lomax, LCSW. April, I said Estill right, correct?
April Estill Lomax, LCSW, Interim Director/Counselor, University of Southern Mississippi, Student Counseling Center:
Estill, close enough.
Low:
Estill, April Estill. I'm from South Mississippi. I should know how to say Estelle.
Estill Lomax:
That's okay. Estill is the correct pronunciation in South Mississippi.
Low:
Oh, it is. Okay. Thank you then. April Estill Lomax, and she is interim director and counselor at the University of Southern Mississippi student counseling services. And Michelle Howard is a counselor with USM student counseling services. And welcome, guys.
Estill Lomax:
Thanks for having us.
Howard:
Yes, definitely, thank you.
Low:
Absolutely. So, the first question is, and this is a weird question because like I said, I grew up in Laurel and I moved away for a very long time. I went to school in Texas and then lived in California for a long time. But as I was looking through the notes that I actually had a student write for this, I was calling USM Southern. Is that still, can we still call USM Southern? I didn't know if that was a thing or not.
Estill Lomax:
Yeah, we've kind of shifted more towards calling ourselves Southern Miss. We have our callback here where we say Southern Miss to the top. So, we've got that SMIT activity around here in Hattiesburg.
Low:
Okay, cool. There was something in the back of my head that clicked and I was like, have I heard something about this or? So, I wanted to clarify that just for my own knowledge. Southern Miss. I like it. Okay.
So, you guys actually are going to have a unique perspective about the semester because y'all actually had one of the largest incoming classes since 2014. Is that correct?
Estill Lomax:
We sure did. Sure. Did. I think it's been largest in maybe six years. I think that maybe what I heard.
Low:
Wow. That's super cool.
Estill Lomax:
Yeah.
Low:
It's such a great school. So, vague all encompassing question. How the semester go?
Estill Lomax:
Well, we feel really excited to sort of be on the other side of this semester. We went into the semester with a lot of anticipation and concerns, ourselves, with how the semester was going to look. We had the big concern of a lot of institutions about what was enrollment going to look like this semester. And now that we've had such a large incoming class, the big question now is how do we retain those students into the spring semester? So, that's kind of our next big challenge.
Low:
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. So, speaking of retention. Michelle, have you seen any of the students that you work with? Are they questioning whether college is worth it right now?
Howard:
Yes. I have some students are questioning whether college is worth it. And I do have some students that are thinking like right now, this is just temporary, what's going on right now? And they're trying to push through, but the ones who are questioning it right now, it is a very difficult time for them.
And the reason why they're questioning it is that, is this worth it for me right now? Or do I need to wait until COVID, technically, is going to go down so I can have that full college experience for myself. Also too, is this going to create exaggerated stress for me going to college. College can be stressful, but during COVID-19 it can be exacerbated for a lot of students, because they want that college experience.
I think for us, the staff, over here at USM, I think that we need to be able to be more creative in how to engage students, not just us at student counseling services, but also for our student affairs. And we actually had a conversation, I think yesterday, and a town hall meeting about that, that we have to work to challenging ourself with that.
Low:
Yeah. That makes sense. April, how about you, any students that are going through the similar situation?
Estill Lomax:
Well, sure. I guess that would be expected of any collection of students. I want to point out that the things we've been able to witness over this semester is the phenomenal resilience of this incoming class. It's just unreal because I know that there's conversations, you mentioned Reece, about anxiety and this whole idea of grief.
We grieve things all the time as humans. We grieve ideals. So, if you think about students who were coming in as freshmen, not only are they grieving their way of life or quote unquote normalcy with a lot of the milestones, ceremonies that they're used to experiencing graduations, prom, things of that nature, they are grieving that.
And then they're also grieving, like what was their ideal of the college experience because now they're coming in and they're like, I've been stuck in my dorm for a full semester. Of course, they're going to ask, is this worth it?
And I feel like as members of student affairs and at the counseling center, it's so important to highlight those strengths for those students and just how resilient they are and to help them recognize that and harness those strengths so that they can make decisions about pushing through or returning for next semester.
Low:
Yeah. I think the important thing about that question, especially for our listeners, is to realize that you guys have a very in-depth understanding of what these guys are going through and not only to the point of empathy, but also to the point of here, let's reach out, let's do other things so we can help them, let's get involved here because it is, I mean, this has never happened before. So it's pretty awesome to see you all so positive about something that's really, really affecting a lot of people.
Is it extending to their extracurricular activities? Is there disengagement there's, because they're fearful or of getting in trouble. I would be fearful of getting in trouble, not fearful of COVID, if I was that age, I'd want to go be with everybody.
Estill Lomax:
Well, yeah. And that's something that we've also experienced over this semester is students who are missing those extracurricular activities so much so that they might be willing to kind of stretch the limits a little bit, to be able to make those connections outside of planned campus activities.
We have like our campus REC and our student organizations on campus, they've really been able to maintain some robust programming throughout the semester. Unfortunately, and fortunately, I think, we've really been kind of thrust into this position where we're being forced to think outside the box and look outside the box as far as, how can we help students better make those connections. And I have to admit that it has been somewhat of a challenge over this past semester, because not only are the students experiencing in a pandemic for the first time, but so are we. It's definitely been a challenge for us.
Michelle mentioned a conversation we had yesterday within student affairs with our challenge and encouragement and support from our vice president of student affairs and upper-level administration to actually think outside the box and look at ways that we can help students make those connections better.
One day I was leaving one evening from work and I happened to pass by Pride Field, which is just outside of the Pain Center. And I saw these big, huge looked like big, clear, like life-size balls. And they were like banging into each other. And I realized that these were students inside these balls engaged in some sort of an activity.
Howard:
Oh, my goodness.
Estill Lomax:
It looks so fun.
Low:
Yeah, seriously.
Howard:
I want to do that.
Estill Lomax:
Yeah, things like that-
Low:
Me, too.
Estill Lomax:
With our sports rec department and our student organizations are really getting creative with how can we get students engaged so that they can feel more comfortable, feel protected and feel safe and still make meaningful connections?
Low:
Yeah, well put, so in that regard, you guys mentioned that we've talked kind of specifically about the incoming class, but based upon your previous experience with college, your mental health issues may be different. I mean freshmen had no previous experience. So, they had that ideal that they were hoping for sophomores are just getting used to everything. And then all of a sudden it's completely changes on them. Can both of you kind of comment on how things have been different working with different classes?
Howard:
Sure. So, you were mentioning about sophomores. April talked about grief. So, sophomore, a class, they're actually grieving again. And especially in dealing with, they've already started freshmen class and they started like having these experiences and then their sophomore happened and wait a minute, I'm not having these experiences or having this growth that I want to have.
I think with college, it's not just about academics. It's also about trying to figure out your own identity and like you're finding your social connections and learning more of being independent. And what happens is that we have students that are ending up having to go back home and they're losing that growth of becoming independent or losing that growth about having their social connections.
One of my students told me, it's like, now we have to plan. If we're going to have any type of social connection, where when that my freshman year I was able just to run into people, organizations, places off campus, and I would get to know new people. And what if I'm incoming freshmen, what you were talking about. And I don't really know anybody, that's going to be really hard to plan if I don't know many people.
So, one of the things we've seen is a loneliness and not just from freshmen, I think it's from multiple college students. But I know, especially with freshmen, especially if they don't have like family nearby or friends nearby and if they're on campus in a dorm and there are a lot of classes online, it can be very difficult for them. And I've had students talk about that they have increased anxiety to socialize and to be outside.
And, so again, we have to find creative ways. A couple of things I talk to the students about is that one, I'm in this with you guys, like I'm learning just as much as you guys are learning. And then we work as a team and talk about that it's okay to feel what you're feeling. I got to tell myself that too.
But also, to encourage, to try to find and maintain a routine for yourself. Even if you have limited space, try to find some sort of routine. And I talked about go outside, if you can. Even I know social distancing, we have to do, but I have a lot of students who have tenancy will stay inside all day and all night, and it interrupts their sleeping, interrupts our routines.
And also trying to find ways to connect with others, be creative, find connection. And like April was talking about our organizations on campus are really trying to find ways to engage our students more. And I think we're still trying to work as a team student affairs to engage with students more.
Low:
Yeah.
Estill Lomax:
If I could add on to that, Reece, too. Speaking specifically about our sophomore students. If you think it, our sophomore students this time last year were completing that freshman year and they finally just figured out that there actually isn't a basement underneath the Pain Center.
Low:
I don't know what that means.
Estill Lomax:
But then they went into their spring semester and the whole idea of a spring break and what you look forward to is spring break. There was this a beat of excitement because there was actually two weeks of spring break, this past academic year. And then that was it. And their semester was over. So, as far as that college experience is concerned.
So, when you think about freshmen, there is this feeling of, well, I really don't know that I successfully completed my freshman year of school. They had to shift to online academics in an instant. And it was literally like, I think we, we pinpointed it yesterday, March the 13th. It was just like the world, as we knew, it just changed just like that.
Low:
I remember. What's the basement under the Pain Center?
Estill Lomax:
We won't talk about when I went to school here, back in the dinosaur age. And that's a joke you tell freshmen is, when you're looking for a class, you tell them it's at the basement under the Pain Center and there isn't one.
Low:
That is not nice. Oh man, that's fun, actually. So, all the alumni will know what you're talking about, I assume.
Estill Lomax:
I hope so.
Low:
Yeah. Especially if they tried to find it.
Estill Lomax:
Right.
Low:
So, let's jump to the seniors. I can't comprehend, or even try to understand what they're dealing with. I mean, they're walking into a world that is... The job market is scant. It's changing. It's going to be changed forever now. So, there are certain tools that they have to relearn or learn for the first time, just like all of us.
And I imagine that that anxiety. We bring up a lot about anxiety in this podcast and it's important because it is, it can lead to so much, so many worse deals unless you take care of it. So, y'all are good at it taking and running. Let's just talk about the senior experience and how they can help themselves avoid, not avoid anxiety, but manage it or have the tools to manage it.
Estill Lomax:
Yeah. I'm glad you used that word, manage. That's a super important word. When I think about the senior experience and what the senior experience this year looks like and compare it to last year. And I think about this idea of anxiety, I'm a really strong believer in the power of language. And so, if you think about the excitement of completing a chapter or moving into the next chapter and having a bit of excitement attached to that. If you think about excitement and anxiety like physiologically, they feel the same. And excitement is a form of anxiety. It's anticipation of the unknown.
Low:
I like that.
Estill Lomax:
Yeah. So, I think it's important that when talking with students that number one, you validate that man, this, this has been hard, this is difficult for everyone. And then also honoring the things that seniors have lost. Going back to this whole concept of grief. We have seniors that completed last academic year, who haven't graduated.
I think we've got eight graduation ceremonies on our academic calendar for this next spring to try and honor the importance of that milestone celebration for last year seniors. At the same time, we have seniors of this year who were wondering, am I going to be able to have a graduation this year? And then, what is to come?
So, I think we have this charge to help reframe the lens that they're looking through, through all of this. If you think about planning for the future and the job market, a lot of seniors have skills naturally in technology and things like that. I mean, it's like a wide open field as to what the possibilities could be.
So, although things may look questionable or grim. There's also this world of opportunity available. And I think that arming them with that more of a positive lens is the best thing we can do to help prepare them for what is to come while validating it and putting skills in their hands to be able to manage their anxiety currently.
Low:
Hmm. Yeah. As a former artist, which all of our listeners know, because I mentioned it all the time, but it was a bulk of my life. A lot of great art and beauty and thought comes from oppression and overcoming that. And in the South we would say no pain, no gain, but I mean, but that's true. That's what we're going through now.
I love that you just said, the world is open. It really is. It's a brand-new world, oddly enough, which is kind of cool. There's hard things in a brand new world, but I think that's spot on. And I really hope that this gets into people's ears, especially those seniors that need it, or even those just venturing out into the world or who've lost their jobs. That sort of thing. I think that's a very positive, I love that. Sorry, not losing your job as not positive, but what April said is positive.
Low:
Oh, yes. Michelle, there's a lot of kids out there and I would have been one of them that if they are going through something, they may either blow it off and say, Oh, this is anything I'm just going to I'm going to do this myself and pull myself up. Or there are out there and they're like, I'm scared. I don't want my parents. I don't want to reach out to a mental health professional because there's all that stigma around it. What would you say to them, especially right now?
Howard:
Well, I think it's really good point. Right now, I like to, instead of saying like, ‘Oh, mental health issues or mental health problems,’ I like to say mental wellness. We talk about physical health and about how other students go in there to get checked up. They get checkups all the time in there. If they have a cold, they go in there and it's accepted more.
I think the stigma with mental health is decreasing, but I still think there's a stigma and that, Okay, when I think of mental health, it's when I have a problem. And we had a discussion actually this morning with April and all those other counselors at the student counseling services, had a discussion this morning about this, that we need to be out there, not when it's about a problem when we want to connect with students.
Let's get out there, for example, we have like a Friday nights, I think out at the fountain we have, and let's like be out there and talk about this wellness and that to normalize students be able to come and see us, not when there's a problem, but you know what, just like for a checkup, have skills and be proactive. And be able to like say decrease the stigma.
Low:
Yeah, love it. Absolutely. A hundred percent. I love mental wellness. We've discussed that several times, excuse me, on this show. And no one's ever put it as mental wellness, even though that's which we're actually talking about.
It's just as important as physical wellness and can help physical wellness. They both work together. They're symbiotic. You guys are great. I do want to keep going, but I'm not because I've gotten in trouble for extending these things.
Can y'all just kind of off the cuff, leave us with where are we going? Or just some words of wisdom for the kids out there and their parents.
Estill Lomax:
I think that it's super important, that number one, we're all in this together. Number two, this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. I've been hearing over the last, I don't know how many months, that I'll be glad when COVID is over. And that sits heavy on my heart because I almost feel like we're aiming for something that most likely will not happen.
And I really, as far as any words of wisdom, I encourage people to validate, like acknowledge and honor how you're feeling. Because this is difficult and it's not supposed to be easy. And the other thing is, find that person, find those people, whether it's informal support or formal type support find somebody to talk to. And it's not necessarily talking to someone because there's a problem. It's about that whole wellness approach.
And there's so much extra stress on the mental and physical being right now. That it's important that everybody have that person, those people, that group, that they can get that validation and support from. And also give yourself credit that if you reach out, whether it's via phone, which I know people don't do that anymore, text or chats once you reach out and say, this is more than I can manage on my own right now, that is the hardest step asking for help. Once you've done that, you've already done the hard part and you're well on your way. And if you think about everything we have all endured, if your biggest challenge is reaching out to ask for help, if you think about how we've come up to this point, taking that next step might be a little bit easier.
Low:
Yeah, absolutely. Michelle, you want to add anything to that?
Howard:
I think April said it perfectly.
Low:
I thought that was pretty good too.
Howard:
Yeah. I'll be brief because I think April really summed it up. I really think it's recognizing, and this is kind of reiterating what April said earlier is that, look what you've already have come through. At like with students wise anybody, not just students, all of us look at our resiliency. And our resiliency is we use our strengths to help us be resilient, recognize your strengths.
And I think that you will in a second know one, it's okay to feel what you're feeling, but also to using your support systems, but also being able to recognizing like, look where you came from and where you are now. Hey, I didn't know I was going to be doing Zoom all the time, either, myself, and making this change. I like face to face counseling. Zoom is like weird for me, but I'm doing it. And so, it's just recognizing what changes you've made in your life and to try to adapt. So.
Low:
Hmm. Well, Bill Gates is doing a new podcast and I just got an email about it and he's doing it with Rashida Jones, I think is her name. She's an actor, which is a fun pairing, I think. But he was taught... In his synopsis of the podcast of that episode, he was saying like, kind of what April was saying, COVID actually may go away and be managed, but this new world will not.
Low:
We made a shift on March 13th and it's not going back to the way that things were before. So, let's move forward with strength and positivity. And I'm not a mental health professional, so I should stop giving advice.
Estill Lomax:
Well Reece, I usually don't give advice either because I can't be the expert for everybody else's life. But I think about this whole concept or this whole idea of going back to the way things were, I don't want to go back to the way things were. I'm excited about what is to come.
Low:
Awesome. Thank you guys so much. April, Michelle, you're awesome.
Estill Lomax:
Thanks. I appreciate you.
Howard:
Thank you.
Low:
Absolutely.
Estill Lomax:
All right. Bye-bye.
Low:
If you have questions about mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic that you'd like our providers to answer in a future episode, please email southoffine@righttrackmedical.com. And if you'd like more information about Right Track Medical Group or the South of Fine podcast, please visit righttrackmedical.com.:
Thanks to our production team Kelly Hunsberger, Katelyn Clegg, Carol Anne Hughes, Alika Battista, and Rhes Low. Special thanks to SquadCast for providing superior remote interview services.
Continue Listening
Past Episodes
Explore our resources
