A young girl living in Poland discusses her personal experience of the pandemic

OK. Nice to meet you. Hello. Hello

So first question is what is your name and where do you come from? Ok, so, uh, my name is Anita and I come from Poland from, uh OK, OK, Anita. So we would like to I would like to ask you today about how the, um the pandemic situation has changed your life. Yes, of course

So, actually, um, I remember the beginning of the pandemic. And, uh, I remember that, uh, the like, uh, the very beginning of this pandemic. I was quite happy because I just, uh, didn't have to go to school

And, uh, I for me, it was like a lot of free time. And I think many people were like that, but we didn't really expect that. It will, like, have such a big influence, Uh, it at our lives because we kind of expected the whole thing to finish in the month or something

Well, now we know that it's not going to finish in, um, like the the closest future. So, um uh, well, uh, I remember that the beginning of the beginning of the pandemic was actually, uh, terrible, because Poland were like the government put some very stupid restrictions. And just some They just made some, uh, really, uh, stupid decisions

Like people were not allowed to leave the house, Uh, for example, to go to the parks or just, uh, like it was very, uh, easy. Easy to be fined for just leaving the house. Uh, like, you know, to go, um uh, for, like, a trip in a car

So it was just some really Not necessarily, uh, good, uh, decisions made by the government. Which, uh, very, uh, highly influenced people's, um, the way that the people started to feel because they were just very scared of the situation. They didn't know you feel scared

Yes, actually, I think I was reading that. This the beginning of the pandemic was also the moment when psychiatrists and psychotherapists, uh, actually recorded recorded that, like the highest, uh, like barely. Yes, yes

Of interest. Yes. Actually, me, myself

I started to have, like, problems with my mental health because of this, because I felt very isolated from other people. Especially that because of the reason that my school is like 50 kilometres from my house, uh, So, uh, when I was kind of isolated from all from all my friends. And yes, I just felt like I'm in nowhere

And I just felt very alarmed I couldn't meet with other people, and, um, I was just kind of I kind of felt like, cut out from the life. And, um, it was terrible. And I think many people feel like this, especially teenagers

Um, and, um, did you change some habits? What about your lifestyle? Did you? Well, I I can say that one good thing is that I could get more sleep, I guess, because of all my classes And yeah, this is why, like the the beginning, like the first week of pandemic, like many people were like, Oh, just now, Finally, I had the time to rest. But then we just realised that No, it's not like that. It's completely like opposite

Uh, we are all stressed. We are in that, uh we feel, uh, scared all the time. We don't know what is going on

What is how dangerous? Actually, the, uh, the virus is and like, Yeah, there was a lot of this information I really feel confused about, OK? And? And what do you think? Uh the situation has changed right now. How is your life right now? Oh, well, I I realised that many people become very numb. Uh, and just like they just, uh, like we became numb, Uh, at, like, the the fact that, uh, people are dying around us and, uh, just I live in about people

Yes. Yes, it's It's like I think people started to get used to this like they just, uh I feel like it is like too much for people that they are trying to, uh, stop thinking about this, and they just separate it from And many people like think that they will not get covid. They just Yeah, they just don't They can't believe that this can happen to them

Which is, of course not true, because the virus is like, not choosing. Who is it going to kill? So, did you feel scary about this to take a covid? Um, I will. I I was vaccinated

I'm vaccinated, so I kind of feel protected. So right now you feel protected because you took this this way to protect you and your Yes, but at the beginning, I mean, like, before I got before I got an access to vaccination. I felt very scared

And, uh, yeah, I just, uh, like, also the the pandemic pandemic made, uh, like our life very uncertain because we don't know if our plan will not have to be cancelled because of pandemic. Like, it's just Yeah, it gives a lot of stress to people because still stressed about you and you. Yeah, that a finger

Since I mean, do do you want to add something more to you? To your story? Um, I don't know. Actually, um, we are here of I I think like there should be more focus on helping Children teenagers to maintain good mental health because I feel like, uh, in the schools. I don't know how about other countries, but in Poland, like, we don't have very good access to psychiatrists and psychotherapists

And, uh, it's something that is actually a privilege to go to psychiatrist or psychotherapist. Uh, just psychology. Yes, because, um uh, you have to have money to actually do this, which is not a like it shouldn't be like that because, like having good mental health is not something that should be a privilege

It should be like a basic, right? Especially now, uh uh when it's like something that's, like, very hard to do on your own and exactly that that depression is something that, of course, committed to suicide. And, um oh, and also I heck of another point, because I know that during a pandemic where because of restrictions, many people were stuck at home and, uh like it make domestic violence. And like the problems with alcoholism or just abuse, it became, uh, like bigger problems

Because many, for example, uh, Children couldn't go outside when everyone was just very stressed. And it made the situations in many households like more and they they didn't have to run away. And it was

It's harder, for example, to leave the now because the situation the situation is so uncertain for many people, they are just afraid to do like choices. The big choice is like giving the abusers when they don't know what is going to happen around them, and they're just very afraid. And yeah, I I think this is like something that also is a problem

But it's not that much like, yeah, I think that, you know, in this case in the pandemic uh, many youth were, uh, were, uh, in situation do not have a safe place to stay, and, um, yes. I mean, um, my point was mostly that, um um when people were stuck at homes like then then the, uh it was very easy for abusers, for example, to just abuse their victims. They, uh, and appreciate that Yeah, like many people, also became unemployed, which also led to them becoming, uh, like, feeling the need to, um, the like, unleash their anger

And they just used what is, like, the closest to them. So their families, Very often. So, yeah, I think it's something that should be also discussed more because it was a big problem

And I I don't think there's much solution for this life. Do you? Yeah. Do you think that, er you can do something for that? I mean, talk with with your teachers, talk with more people about this and also like, it should be talked because, uh, like, people can actually start to ask their the closest, uh, people who are close to them if they are actually all right, if they need help if they need support

Uh, so some help can be given to them, and they can start to feel like they are not alone in the situation like it's just something that, like, Can we can do? A Just around us. It's like the most important thing. And, uh, yeah, thank you

It's a very important issue. Thanks. Thank you a lot

Do you want to add something more? No, thank you a lot..