Pandemic stress, like all serious stress, produces surges of cortisol, which activates fight-or-flight responses that can interfere with focus, concentration, and decision making. Beyond the pandemic’s initial shock, there are constant reminders — from a recent uptick in Covid cases to the threat of the new Omnicron variant — that continue to induce stress and anxiety. Moreover, for college students in their late teens and early 20s, this is happening as their brains are still developing.
Whether students’ are experiencing sporadic distractions or debilitating obsessions, these patterns have led to an avalanche of need for mental-health services for an already maxed out industry. Building Students' Resilience provides advice on how faculty can acknowledge these struggles, share appropriate resources, and reengage their classes.
