K.T., 18, in Newcastle, U.K.

As someone who has been home bound/self quarantined for a few years to due to chronic illnesses and disabilities, the pandemic hasn’t changed my life that drastically. In terms of daily life and mental health I’ve been struggling a bit however, there is no routine set in place for me, all the days seem to fade into each other, and I’ve been too scared to go outside because of my physical health. But because of everyone having to stay at home I’ve had more time to enjoy the company of my online friends which made me extremely happy! I also started playing an online game at the beginning of quarantine, where I met a lot of people who have changed my mindset on how I view myself and have become closer to my current friends through it. I would say that the pandemic has changed my view on life slightly, and that we shouldn’t take the small things for granted. Being able to go to the bookstore once every few weeks was something I enjoyed, just being able to go outside and be surrounded by things I love is something that I miss greatly, and things may not be the best right now but I’ve always tried to have a positive mindset regarding life and how precious it is, so I’m grateful despite the pandemic and the worlds current state that I’ve been able to spend so much time with my friends and hang out with them more often than usual. Thank you for reading!

[submitted on 11/16/2020]