The 2020 lockdown had a huge effect on the mental state of American youth. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest mental health origination, reported an 83% increase in usage of their programs by teens. While this year’s lockdown is debatably over or at least largely scaled back, it is worth noting what we have learned from it. This way we can apply these lessons to a future lockdown. Here are a few tools I used during lockdown to keep growing, and to keep life exciting.
 

Pick Up a Hobby
Hobbies are a great way to pass the time but can sometimes be hard to discover. Since you’ll have plenty of time to spare during lockdown, here are a few ways you can discover new hobbies.Look online and/or brainstorm a brand-new hobby. YouTube, along with the rest of the internet, is a great place to start when looking for a new hobby. There is so much information on these platforms, and you can learn a new hobby from start to finish. For me, I learned how to cook. Some notable accomplishments were, fried ice cream, jalapeno poppers, and smoked chicken.Revisit an old hobby. Sometimes we get too overwhelmed with everyday life and fall out of touch with our passions. The practice of revisiting old hobbies can offer a nostalgic and rewarding experience. For me, I used to be really into fish tanks. I somewhat recently got back into the hobby and it has been a lot of fun.Pick up a friend’s hobby. Even though we can’t physically see our friends during a lockdown, we can still communicate with them through social media. Since you tend to have a lot in common with your friends, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to find enjoyment in one of their hobbies. For me, one of my buddies is into the stock market. There was plenty of information online to help get me started.  

Learn a New Skill
It is so important that you use your surplus of time to grow. Learning a new skill is important for two reasons. First of all, a new skill can be something that you carry for the rest of your life and can help you grow as a person. The second reason is that, people who did not learn a new skill during the 2020 pandemic, like others in their circle, may feel a bit behind. I think it's important to continue to work on becoming the best versions of ourselves. For me, I learned public speaking. I have always been introverted and a little awkward, so public speaking skills helped me sound more natural and comfortable when presenting at my new job.
 

Keep to a Schedule
Schedules and routines are important to keep, especially in lockdown when there are fewer commitments keeping you on track. For many people, school, jobs, etc, are the only thing that keeps them on a schedule. When those things become “work at your own pace” it is easy to slip into an inefficient cycle. Schedules remind you to get the important things done and provide you that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. This is important because I'v elearned that action comes before motivation, and motivation will keep you excited to attack the next day. I started keeping a schedule around May during this pandemic. As I got better at keeping track of my time, I was able to get more things done and grow faster.
 
In conclusion, lockdowns are difficult. This is why it is important to be passionate about your growth. At the same time, it’s important to not beat yourself up if things aren't going your way. Besides, in a lockdown, you have all the time in the world.

Author Jack Wasserman

Jack is West Chester University freshman, top Cutco Sales Rep, and sprinter for WCUT&F.