TODAY WITH JENAE: The Four Stages of Stay-At-Home

By JENAE CAREY, CSU Public Relations Intern

Hello friends! My name is Jenae and I am a Public Relations Intern at the Communications Office in the CSU. I’m a senior graduating in May, studying Mass Media with an emphasis on Public relations and communications.

I wanted to start a blog that addresses things that you, as a student, can relate to. Being in my fourth year of college, I feel I have some helpful insight to offer. This will be a weekly blog post, so sit back, sip on some coffee, and let’s chat!


Posted April 1, 2020

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I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is not what we were expecting our academic year (or personal year) to look like…. not even close!

The COVID-19 pandemic is not something any of us were prepared for. We resent it in many ways. For all of us seniors out there, this is supposed to be our time to shine! It’s our chance to prove that these past four (or more) years stand for something and that we are ready to make something of ourselves. Even if you aren’t a senior, it’s taking away your college experience.


‘It’s ok to be sad, happy, nervous, angry, and everything in between. Your feelings are valid, and there is a very high chance that most of us are feeling the exact same way.’


For me, dealing with the impact of COVID-19 came in four main stages:

This is awesome. At this stage, you are feeling like this is pretty cool. You get to stay home in bed and get three whole weeks of spring break! Time to binge watch that Netflix that’s been sitting in My List.

Wow, amazing, right? This is what we always wanted… but then…

Boredom. This is when you start realizing how much you miss going to campus, seeing your friends, having human interaction, having a reason to get yourself out of bed in the morning, having a nice conversation with your professor, heck, even getting up for that 8 a.m. you once despised so much.

You find yourself online shopping, eating, sleeping. Binge-watching got old very quickly.

It didn’t stop there….

Being genuinely concerned. At this stage, I personally find myself getting overwhelmed by the media. Early news was about toilet paper hoarding. Now, there are people out of work or extremely sick. Our latest heroes are healthcare providers bravely facing a vicious and deadly “invisible enemy.”

How am I supposed to focus on school or anything with everything going on?

This isn’t what we wanted….


‘I find myself appreciating the little things in life that I once took for granted.’


Seeing silver lining. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this pandemic is going to make us all come out a heck of a lot more thankful for what we have. I find myself appreciating the little things in life that I once took for granted. Going on a walk and enjoying nature, having time to journal, getting caught up on my laundry, having a roof over my head, a cozy bed to sleep in… the list goes on and on.

Maybe this isn’t what we wanted… but maybe this is what we needed.

I’m here to tell you it’s OK to be overwhelmed right now. It’s ok to be sad, happy, nervous, angry, and everything in between. Your feelings are valid, and there is a very high chance that most of us are feeling the exact same way.

One of the most disappointing parts of this for us seniors, is that our commencement ceremony is canceled. It’s something almost all of us were looking forward to. Having all of our family and friends surrounding us, celebrating our last four or more hard-working years.

Although we can’t walk in May, we can still join the Fall ceremony. I encourage all of you to get creative and try to celebrate in your own way with those closest to you.

In my upcoming blogs, I will be sharing tips and tricks on combating that lack of motivation we’re all feeling, self-care, and addressing how this situation is affecting our mental health. So sit back and relax, and come virtually hang out with me while we chat in my upcoming blog posts!

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