remember that you are not alone 10.30.20

 Dear Students, 

This past week has been hard. It included the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia, the worst week yet for new coronavirus cases, and the final days before an election that seems to have just about everyone on edge. While the world around us reels, we are left with the challenges of everyday life: exams, work, studying, relationships, mustering the energy for remote classes while seriously underslept. It's a LOT.

And what makes it harder still? Isolation. It's easy to feel isolated when everyone you know is living on campus, or not on campus - wherever you aren't. And when everyone, yourself included, seems to have so much work to do, all the time. When there are so few opportunities to run into friends over the course of a day, as we used to. When we need to exercise caution every time we approach another human. And feeling lonely is always hard, but it is especially so during a time when we need to support one another, and feel our interconnectedness, more than ever before. 

So make the effort! Pull yourself free from the inertia of studying alone in your room and reach out. Make a plan for this weekend. Take a hike, play a game, bake a pie and share it with friends outside. Call someone you love from home. Schedule a video chat with that special friend you made studying abroad. Contact your favorite people if you could use some support on Election Day. Chances are, they could too. 

Because we're all struggling. A kind word, a smile, an I miss you goes a long way.

You are not alone. Stay connected! If that feels really hard to do, call us at the Student Wellness Center 717-544-9051. We're here to help.

Warmly, 

Lauren, Susan, Katharina, Meagan, Alexis, Kelly and Gene