Let me start by saying this: your feelings are valid. Whatever you’re feeling right now, whether it be fear, anxiety, sadness, loss or a combination of all of these, your emotions are valid. Your concerns are valid. YOU are valid.

Right now, we are sailing in uncharted waters. It is normal to feel lost at sea right now. The effect of this international crisis is unprecedented. You are most likely a week or two into a brand-new type of learning. You might have chosen to move home, or you may have even been forced to return home. Nothing seems to be the same.

I’m a theater student. I study at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Over the course of about 48 hours, all of the productions, concerts and major campus events I was involved in, were cancelled. All classes were moved online, and campus was essentially closed. I drove back to campus and said goodbye to the people I love. As I was packing my apartment and loading up my little silver car, I found myself starting to cry. I couldn’t stop. I felt like all was lost.

What I’ve found to be true is this: the loss that I was feeling was the loss of my sense of normalcy. Everything that was my normal was taken away from me all at once. You might be going through the same thing. The things that made your days average and ordinary, don’t exist anymore. That’s just the truth.

But here’s some more truth:

1. We serve a God who is bigger than this, bigger than the virus and bigger than the change you’re facing now. No one can snatch us from His hands (John 10:28-29). This is helpful to think of when you start to feel panicked or hysterical.
   
   Salvation Army Commissioner Stanley Ditmer wrote in his most famous recognizable hymn: “I shall not fear though darkened clouds may gather round me / The God I serve is One who cares and understands. / Although the storms I face would threaten to confound me, / of this I am assured, I’m in His hands.”
   
   You are in His hands and that will not be shaken.
   
2. While everything today seems to change by the hour, God the Father does not change. He is the same today as He was yesterday, last year and when Jesus was here with us on Earth (Hebrews 13:8). In the times of change, it is important that we cling to The One who won’t.
   
3. This pandemic was not a surprise to Him. God is all-knowing and all-seeing. Nothing has ever surprised Him before, and this is no different. Psalm 139:16 (NIV) says, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I’ve been reading this verse every day and recommend that you do the same.

As we turn to face this brand-new day, it’s important to remember to live with kindness. Everyone deserves kindness and that includes you. It is critical to remember that the same kindness you strive to show others is the kindness you need to show yourself. You deserve kindness that is consistent and safe. Make sure you show that to yourself.

In school, it is beneficial to practice acceptance. It is what it is. How can we start to move forward in a healthy way? Let’s talk about it in the takeaways below.

TAKEAWAY #1: Limit social media.

Hear me out. I understand that social media is where you can see your friends’ beautiful faces whenever you want. However, apps like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are breeding grounds for undue stress and hysteria. It is important to remain informed and up to date, but it might be wise to limit your screen time and media consumption. If you’re wondering what that limit might be for you, consider this question: when does your screen stop serving you? When do you start to serve it?

TAKEAWAY #2: Call the people you love.

Social distancing is a scary term. It’s new and implies that we cannot socialize with the people we love. Instead of calling it social distancing, consider calling it physical distancing. This means that we only have to be distanced physically. You are still allowed to FaceTime your significant other. You are still allowed to play games online with your classmates. You are still allowed to connect with the people that you love. We just cannot be together in person right now. It’s different, but it’s okay. Call someone you love when you miss them. They miss you too.

TAKEAWAY #3: Follow safety guidelines including physical distancing.

The key to getting through this is knowing that we will. However, if we want to get out of this sooner and go back to doing the things that we love to do, we need to follow the rules. This situation may be getting nicknamed “corona-cation,” but we need to remember that this is not a vacation. I have seen many of my friends and classmates posting photos of themselves at parties and traveling for fun with groups of friends. We should remain in our homes unless performing essential tasks, such as getting groceries or other supplies. The guidelines our government has put in place were put in place for a reason.

Live with kindness and keep both yourself and the people you love safe.

Download our PDF of three takeaways from this article.

Stay connected to read “To the High School / College Senior…” by college senior Summar Bussey coming next week. You won’t want to miss this!