Many youth kept or started exercise routines in the pandemic
December 31, 2020
A bicyclist rides along the Charles River in Boston. (Katrina Machetta/YJI)
The worldwide pandemic may have put certain activities on hold, but for some youth, daily exercise has continued.
Parnian Shahsavary/YJI
Exercise has always been part of a regular routine for some people, but others have taken the bonus time from quarantine to incorporate a workout into their lifestyle.
Binnet Roberts, 22, a student at the University of The Gambia, said she is making an extra effort to maintain her weight during the covid-19 pandemic.
Maryam Azimpour, an 18-year-old student athlete in Tehran, Iran, said exercise is crucial.
Grafitti in Istanbul. (Bilge Nur Guven/YJI)
Spending their lives in repetitive confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic, young people the world over said they are struggling with loneliness, worry, sadness, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
In a wide-ranging series of interviews with Youth Journalism International reporters, 56 young people from 18 countries discussed the impact of the pandemic and quarantine.
“I have felt my mental health spiraling down the drain,” said Riddhi Goenka, 19, of Kolkata, India. The news gives her anxiety and there are problems at college and issues with her family, she said, adding that she tries to talk with friends but feels that no one understands the heaviness of her thoughts.