Mira Goldstein

Recently, a family of owls nested behind my house. An unfamiliar neighbor approached me and pointed them out. This simple interaction scared me; it had been around a month since I had talked to anyone in person other than my family because of COVID-19. From the first, I did not enjoy the owls’ presence; they reminded me of the uncomfortable interaction with my neighbor. However, I realized the local owls had come to symbolize hope in our community.

Even though the owls were smaller than I expected, they seemed to loom over our alley. They would perch for hours in the trees, then suddenly disappear. I had never seen them up close until I saw one fly past my window. I noticed how large the owl actually was. I saw the intricate pattern of its feathers and its pointy, commanding ears.

The owls started to attract crowds of admirers in the alley. Seeing so many people congregated together was strange after weeks of isolation. I wanted to see the owls up close myself, but I chose to avoid the alley. The observers were not distancing themselves from each other. Seeing the birds from my window reminded me of the confinement I felt, and my own isolation.

I had often met my neighbors outside; that changed with the pandemic. My next-door neighbor, entranced by the owls, reached out to talk. We initially reunited online and soon started talking outside again. Without the owls, I would not have reconnected with my friend. Having someone to talk to during a stressful time helps relieve the anxiety of the pandemic. I miss many things in quarantine: my friends, sports, extended family, and especially, socializing outside with my neighbors. Although the owls kept their distance, they brought me closer to my friend.

. At first, they reminded me of my withdrawal from the community. I now realize that they strengthened the ties within our neighborhood. They attracted residents from all over my town. Sharing a love of these winged visitors brought optimism to a community facing the pandemic. Instead of dwelling on our distress, we shared a common interest we may have overlooked if not in quarantine. The owls sparked a community-wide fascination with the inconspicuous joys of nature.

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Sharing a love of these winged visitors brought optimism to a community.

The Owls: A Reminder There is Hope

 has changed every part of my life. As I see masked faces walking alone across crowded streets, I wonder if people will ever feel safe again. As challenging as it is to be optimistic during a pandemic, I try to be grateful for what I have. I think of what makes me feel safe during this stressful time. This year, Mother’s Day allows us to thank the mothers who help their children feel protected.

During this time, being able to communicate about the coronavirus is vital to a child feeling safe. Just by looking outside, it is clear that our world has changed. Discussing COVID-19 with my family helped me feel more in control of the situation. We shared what we feel comfortable doing as a family, instead of each of us individually creating our own boundaries.

Our family guidelines were not clear during the beginning of quarantine. Observing my brother socialize with neighbors increased my nervousness. After discussing with my family, we were able to create a solution everyone agreed with. I realized my brother needs social interactions. He agreed to stay six feet apart and always carry hand sanitizer. My mother led this discussion. She knew I needed it to feel safe.

Online learning and homework only occupy a portion of the day. My mother makes time each day to spend with me. While riding our bikes, I see other mothers and their children together. Seeing this loving connection between mothers and children reminds me that COVID-19 is not powerful enough to break that special bond. This Mother’s Day will allow us to thank mothers’ efforts to help their children feel safe.

As we see masked faces walking alone across crowded streets, this young teen wonders if people will ever feel safe again. "Mother’s Day allows us to thank the mothers who help their children feel protected," she says.

Mother's Day During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Gratitude is a virtuous quality that allows us to see the best in each other and in our lives. The practice of gratitude helps us become more optimistic. In a 2003 study, Emmons and McCullough

 tested the effects of gratitude on mental health. For 10 weeks, participants wrote a couple of sentences about anything for which they were grateful. After writing their gratitude lists, they recorded “their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals.” The findings suggest that writing what we are grateful for improves optimism and, coincidentally, increases the amount of time the participants in the study physically exercised.

Optimism may also help us stay grounded. I have been practicing gratitude by writing three things I am grateful for and have enjoyed benefits similar to the participants in the study. I am able to relive joyful experiences of the day and be grateful for all I have. Recording our emotions decreases activity in the 

, the part of the brain attached to strong emotions.

 Whether your goal is to reduce anxiety or increase gratitude, 

 can lead to a calmer outlook during this stressful time.

is from Evanston, IL. She is 15 years old.

1. Emmons RA1, McCullough ME. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. 

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/application_uploads/Emmons-CountingBlessings.pdf

2. Sample I. Keeping a diary makes you happier. 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/15/psychology-usa

3. Harvard Medical School. Giving thanks can make you happier. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Whether your goal is to reduce anxiety or increase gratitude, giving thanks in written form can lead to a calmer outlook during this stressful time.

Benefits of Gratitude During COVID-19

Since young adults are developing their identities, creating new social relationships, and testing authority, I can understand why some kept partying on beaches and elsewhere despite the social distancing recommendations during the pandemic.

As an introverted person, I thought following these recommendations would be easy for me. I was wrong. I missed my friends, my gymnastics teammates, and my extended family.

I wondered if I could find a safe way to replace live social gatherings. I stumbled across an online game called 

. This game challenges players to choose an outrageous real answer among fakes, similar to how we may navigate political information.

 worked well with my friends. I was curious to see how my grandparents might respond to the game. Instinctively, I thought the name sounded like a fit for my grandfather, a psychiatrist. Very quickly, we all started laughing at our answers, finding out new things about one another, and victory was spread around as we psyched each other out.

This simple game may bring some needed social interaction to everyone staying safe at home. I suggest anybody in the psychiatric field give 

 a try. Let me know what you think if you do. Or, if you have found other games that link families and friends well, let us know.

 is from Evanston, IL. She is 15 years old.

Online tools are bringing much needed social interaction while staying safe at home, according to this teen.

Should We Psych Each Other Out?

My school officially shut down on March 12, 2020. They sent an email at 3 PM, five minutes before dismissal. The atmosphere was chaotic. Many students squealed with excitement; others shrieked with worry regarding 

. Had my school waited until the weekend to share the news, or given us more warning, I would feel more in control than I do now.

Suddenly, I realized the magnitude of this pandemic. I cried myself to sleep the next few nights, fearful of my parents and grandparents catching the virus. The sudden closure of many things I love like school, gymnastics, and Hebrew and Chinese classes compounded my anxiety.

I learned about the virus only from my freshman classmates; I mainly heard racist jokes or hysterical comments. My school never taught us about the virus. Instead, they responded to the virus. To be fair, they are not doctors or knowledgeable about epidemiology. Hearing about it from opinionated and often unreliable sources made me more nervous than I needed to be.

Ms Goldstein is from Evanston, IL. She is 15 years old.

Hearing about Coronavirus 2019 from opinionated and often unreliable sources made this 15-year-old more nervous than she needed to be.

Author | Mira Goldstein

Articles

The Owls: A Reminder There is Hope

Mother's Day During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Benefits of Gratitude During COVID-19

Should We Psych Each Other Out?

A Teenager’s Reaction to Learning About COVID-19