Written by Joelle Amir (Medicine, Class of 2024)
It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic can take a significant toll on our well-being, ranging from mental, physical, and nutritional health, just to name a few. This, coupled with being a full-time medical student, came with a new set of challenges in the early months of the outbreak. Luckily, our Medical Student Wellness (MSW) Committee, here at McGill, as well as other independent initiatives provided our student body with several activities in the past months, allowing us to stay social, active and healthy – even if it meant doing so over Zoom. Please note that the following is not an exhaustive list of the wellness initiatives that took place during the past seven months, but are just a few examples that we wanted to share with you. Hopefully, these events can inspire you with ideas on how to keep busy outside of Zoom university during the upcoming months!
The first initiative organized by the MSW committee after the start of quarantine was “Isolation Tea Time”, a session that provided proactive tips and strategies regarding how students have coped with isolation and stayed six meters apart since the outbreak began. Students drank tea, and conversed over Zoom to discuss how they were feeling. A document was shared between participants so that they could continue to share their ideas even after the session.
Next, the MSW team launched, starting in May, a series of quarantine Wellness Challenges that went on until the end of the school year. Through a Facebook group, weekly posts were shared with a specific theme (i.e. cooking, physical activity, hobbies, etc.), where members exchanged their strategies on how to pass the time and keep themselves in a good mental space during quarantine. Some weeks had weekly winners, where students could win Indigo or Starbucks gift cards, giving them even more incentive to participate! This initiative was a great success and has been relaunched this Fall, so it should be exciting to see how peoples’ interests have changed with the progression of the pandemic! You can check this out for yourself and join if you would like at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/177519450103565/
Virtual open mic night was a safe and inclusive space where students were able to join and open up about any topic, ranging from how COVID had affected them, to difficulties they had been experiencing in medical school, in their personal relationships, etc. A variety of mediums were welcomed (i.e. written text, poem, speech, song, etc.) and students were given the option of remaining anonymous if they preferred to do so, making it possible for even more individuals to participate. When asking a participant about her impressions of the event, she shared the following: “Everyone was very non-judgemental and I really felt comfortable sharing some of the struggles I had been going through. It was comforting to hear similar experiences from other students, and know that I was not alone. Also, a few people played music which was helpful in breaking the ice and creating a safe atmosphere.”
There were also a few initiatives that were run by groups outside of the MSW committee. A group known as the COVID-19 Mental Health Check-In was organized by Christina Nona, in order for students to reconnect and bond anywhere from 1-4x per month, via Zoom or outside, weather permitting. “This time was very isolating for a lot of us, not being able to hang out with friends, especially for those living alone. In response to what I was hearing from our classmates, I realized that we needed some sort of platform where we can check-in, stay connected and engaged - and that’s why the group was created,” says the event host Christina. When asking one of the attendees about the event, they shared the following: “The check-ins are great. They remind me that my friends and classmates still exist, and that we are all on the same boat during these difficult times. It is very nice to take a mental break from the never-ending online classes and to catch up with friends. It is something that I always look forward to - I think this is important because there are very few things to look forward to during lockdown.”
Lastly, there was an initiative hosted by MSS Diverging Minds, in order to explore how the neurodivergent community is dealing with COVID. This included a variety of speakers and organizations, such as psychologists, autism advocates, nurses and caregivers, which helped give medical students a unique perspective on the pandemic.
There are so many other creative events and activities taking place on our ~online~ campus, so we encourage you all to try something new before the end of 2020, by getting involved with existing initiatives, or creating your own! And finally, don’t forget to spread love, not germs :)