Anxiety is something that everyone experiences at one time or another. The COVID-19 pandemic is one time when anxiety really spiked. One major explanation for the increase was the unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. COVID was one of the worst things that has ever happened all around the world. It is something that will never be forgotten.

COVID changed people in many ways. People couldn’t leave the house, were scared to go to the store, and worse.

“When COVID-19 started, my anxiety was through the roof. I was scared of the future and Covid really scared me and my family. We felt isolated at the time, but I’m happy to say that everything is normal now and my anxiety hasn’t been bad ever since,” said sophomore Senna Trafton.

When COVID hit, many people felt alone. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression prevalence increased by 25% globally.

“COVID-19 was a tough era for many including me and my anxiety spiked when we were isolated and couldn’t go anywhere. I’m happy to say I don’t get anxiety as bad as I used to since then,” said sophomore Mia Luzardo.

Over the course of the pandemic, adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression, with approximately four in ten asserting these symptoms by early 2021. This was before declining to approximately three in ten adults as the pandemic wound down.

As the pandemic ebbed, the anxiety levels decreased, but COVID is still a major reason why people have bad anxiety today.

“When COVID hit, I was in the middle of 7th grade and my anxiety got bad because I was really scared of how the rest of my school life was going to go,” said junior Carolina Moreno.

Many people experienced this when they were young which was even harder on them. Now that the pandemic has passed, many are doing much better.