We could not find your account using Instant Login.

Please try again, or contact your system administrator or customer service.

OK

Jaedon’s Story

This coronavirus has caused a lot of people pain and suffering in the past couple of weeks. Lots of people are doing different things to handle the pain and all of the new free time that they have. Some people like the new online school that we are doing, and for some kids it’s a struggle. No matter if we like staying home or not, we all have to find ways to cope with what is going on in the world with the coronavirus.

Some ways that I have coped with being stuck inside is by playing sports (mainly basketball), working out, and trying new hobbies, like painting. By having all of this free time, I have been able to focus more on my basketball skills and my strength. Whoever puts the most work in during this coronavirus, I feel that they will come out of it stronger and better than those people who didn’t. Picking up and trying new hobbies during this time can be extremely fun, because before we didn’t have the time to do stuff. Now we have the time to do things and to try new things that we wouldn’t normally have tried if we didn’t have a lot of free time.

A lot of things have changed for me, my family, and my friends. The things that have changed for me specifically are my school has switched to online, my AAU basketball season has been postponed, and I haven’t been able to see any of my friends. Not being able to see my friends has been difficult because I am an extreme extrovert, which means I love to be around people. My family has changed a lot too, by the things we do and how we act around each other now that we have been cooped up for such a long time. Some days my family and I will get on each other's nerves because we are the only people we have seen and we can’t stand being around each other any longer. My friends have also been sad since we can’t see each other and hang out and have fun together.

My friends and I have stayed in touch and connected by snapping each other with Snapchat. We also FaceTime one another here and there. My extended family and I are staying connected and in touch mainly through FaceTime. We usually FaceTime my grandparents at least once, if not twice, a week to check in on them and make sure that they are staying safe since the elderly are more at risk to get the virus. Since my grandparents live in Michigan, my uncle and his family go out and buy groceries and other necessities for them since we don’t want them going out of the house and getting sick.

One way that you can support people in your community and at your school is by making sure they are okay and safe. You can help them by asking them if they need anything and you can safely go get it for them and deliver it to their house. I have elderly neighbors and my family is worried for their safety, so we called them and asked them if there was anything we could do for them. They said that we could go to the grocery store and get them some groceries because they wanted to stay in their house and stay safe.

This time may be very difficult for us, but we must stay safe above all else. We have to find things and activities to do to keep us busy and to keep us staying sane. If you have always wanted to try a new thing but never had the chance, step out of your comfort zone and do it. Then you can show your friends your new talent that you learned during quarantine. Remember to stay safe and make sure others around you are safe, and don’t be shy to ask someone if they need help with something.

—Jaedon

Share your own story here. Sharing stories is a powerful way to connect with other people. Be part of the Teen Health & Wellness Personal Story Project—like Jaedon did above—and share your story about successfully dealing with or overcoming a challenge.