As the seasons turn to spring, DVHS counselors notice the increasing rise in isolation among Dougherty Valley students. In the wake of a potential loneliness epidemic, counselors give advice to students to help mitigate the increased disconnection.
In May 2023, the United States Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, declared that loneliness was a nationwide epidemic. Around the United States, roughly 40 percent of 16-24 year olds experience some level of loneliness on an everyday basis according to the Clay Center for Young and Healthy Minds. At the Dougherty Valley Wellness Center, counselor Kathleen Norgaard encourages students to find community through communicating with peers about their experiences and struggles.
“I agree [that there is an loneliness epidemic], I think we see a lot of students come in and share things that they may not share with their peers,” Norgaard states. ”They may not realize that a lot of their peers are feeling the same exact way of feeling isolated as they are feeling and wishing they were more connected.”
Norgaard and her fellow counselor, Kelly Cushner, mention the various activities that the Wellness Center offers such as therapy dogs, destress fests before finals and various programs to help student’s mental health, especially post-pandemic. Each activity has helped students acclimate to the normalcy of high school and help ground students to believe in themselves while also providing a clear environment for support.
“When the pandemic first subsided, I think those years of being home with remote learning, kids felt very isolated and it was really difficult to connect,“ Cusher notes. ”[The past three years] we had a mentoring program and our Wellness Center has really increased in terms of the activities that we now offer.”
Some of the causes of the loneliness epidemic cited by Norgaard stemmed from the usage of the phone. She notes how the excessive use of electronic devices in public places and at Dougherty lead students to close themselves off from the world. When students close themselves off, social media begins to have damaging effects on students’ mental health and furthers loneliness, Norgaard explains.
“Social media and the phone creates a dimension where you’re not actually having a human connection, you’re essentially looking at stuff that’s fake all day long,” Norgaard expresses.” I just wish that students would talk more [in person] rather than online,”
Cushner and Norgaard acknowledge that DVHS is a competitive school and with it comes academic pressure and societal pressure. With the countless volunteering hours and vigorous course loads that many students undertake, Cushner notes the limited hours to hang out with friends and build community. However they both comment on the need to balance life between having a social life while also focusing on education.
“I feel like if we could shift the culture from being entirely goal oriented and solely on academics to instead stating that having friends and the feeling you belong is important, then we can have a more balanced individual,” Norgaard explains.
One of the ways that Cushner also suggests to curb loneliness is to mainly try new things such as join clubs and go to sports games. She also notes how any type of event can introduce new people to interact with.
“I think a lot of our loneliness stems from feeling like we’re not being successful or enough,” Norgaard remarks. “I think [DV students] really need to focus more on building relationships and getting involved in extracurriculars. Try having conversations with others that you might not know and being connected.”
To help stay connected, sophomore Aleem Ahmad joined Dougherty Valley baseball as a sport with the intention of trying something new and different from the typical DV norms.
“DV baseball and its community makes me feel more connected because as a team, we support each other and win or lose as a team.” Ahmad states, “[This sport] helps me feel connected to the DVHS community by interacting with people that I wouldn’t normally socialize with.“
After high school, numerous DVHS seniors will embark on their way to a college or university. However, in a study conducted by TimelyCare, a virtual health benefactor, notes that in a survey of 1100 university students, 64.7 percent of them report they feel lonely. To help avoid this state of loneliness while at college, Cushner and Norgaard both provide strategies to seniors.
“One of the ways that we suggest making connections is to stop staring at your phone and interact with people you see around campus,” Cushner explained,” Also try and keep your dorm room open, get to know your professors and TA’s so you have adults to connect with, and maybe get a part time job because it gives you an excuse to talk to people and keeps you connected.”
Overall, counselors Norgaard and Cushner suggest for students to seek help if they are suffering from loneliness and trust adults on campus such as school staff, teachers, and of course, the counselors.
“Our message as counselors when students come in is to try and normalize their feelings and to make them understand that they’re not alone. Life isn’t just about your GPA, it’s about becoming a well rounded person,” Norgaard said.
