Helping Students Face Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness
As students prepare for their first fall semester on campus after over a year and a half of virtual learning it almost feels like life is returning to normal. But as dorm rooms, cafeterias, and classrooms fill up again, many students are still feeling empty as they battle the anxiety, depression, and loneliness churned up from the trauma and isolation of the pandemic.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
From rising sophomores—who, as freshmen never got to meet a classmate in person, leaving them feeling alone in their first year of college—to an overall increase in depressive thinking, feelings of being overwhelmed by schoolwork, and fears for their future, current college students are facing an unprecendented battle.
As Tom Lin, the President of InterVarsity said, “In certain ways, [the pandemic] just accentuated and accelerated the concerns that we already had about Gen Z. This generation generally has been shaped by higher rates of mental health concerns, anxiety and such. Even though Gen Z is so connected, they’re all about digital connectivity, the figure that struck me was 71 percent of those who had a negative experience during the pandemic attributed it towards isolation, toward lack of community, toward lack of social interactions.”
This article, from Christianity Today, explores the lasting impact of the pandemic on students and how campus ministers might meet them in their struggles. Like every campus ministry, Christian Union pivoted to online ministry in March of 2020. Though our ministry faculty provided incredible care, instruction, and mentoring from afar, we are eager to see students on campus, face-to-face, and in community once again. Join us in praying for the students we will minister to, and all students, as they return to campus life and adjust to life after COVID-19.
Read the full article here.
