The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a lot of havoc on relationships for many people, whether it’s families due to the risk of spreading the virus or friendships because of lack of communication. Either way, a lot of students have gone through some serious changes regarding friendships. 

People of all ages are experiencing these changes and it’s a completely normal thing for the circumstances everyone is facing due to Covid-19. The disconnection from friends can affect how students perform in school or everyday life. If teens are going through a hard time, as many people are, they might enjoy having friends by their side to comfort and lift their spirits. However, with the pandemic, those interactions have been a lot harder to obtain.

For most students, it has been tough to make friends due to the lack of in-person interaction. Asking a classmate for help with work is a lot harder and reaching out to help friends can take days. Coping with this can be difficult for some, and for others, it may not even be a problem. Regardless, there is a clear difference in how simple hanging out, working with, and overall communicating with friends has been since the pandemic hit.

For many, Covid-19 has made friendships really hard to maintain and maybe even caused some loss or gain of friends.

“I have definitely lost some friends over quarantine, but I feel closer than ever with the friends that stuck by my side,” said senior Kali Black.

“It’s hard not seeing your friends every day or on the weekend, but I think it was for the better because it showed me who would stick with me through hard times,” said freshman Terry Knighting.

Not everyone’s friendships have been heavily affected by social distancing, for some, it has made it easier because of their strong foundation of friends.

“I honestly don’t feel that Covid has affected any of my relationships. I have pretty solid people in my life that I consider my friends. Sure, I didn’t talk to my school friends as much, but I think it’s important to understand that we were all going through the same thing, so it’s not like I drifted away from my friends because we all knew what was going on in the world. Simply, I don’t feel that quarantine has affected any of my friendships. We know now more than ever that you will never know what tomorrow will bring, hold on to the people you have, and if you drift from that person, then you weren’t meant to have them in your life,” said sophomore Kate Stachowicz.

For some, the alone time during quarantine amounted to something better than they imagined and helped them discover interesting new things about themselves.

“I have chosen who my real friends are and who my fake friends are. I have also been more cautious on how I pick my friends and who I pick as my friends,” said freshman Asya Thomas.

Whether it’s travel, masks, or the overall risk of spreading the virus, a lot of people have found that the restrictions have caused their friendships to fall out. Some enjoy staying home and having time to relax from social events. For others, staying in all day has taken a toll on them and their mental health. 

“I miss being able to go out and not having to wear a mask. I can’t see most family or friends, and I don’t enjoy staying in the house a lot,” said sophomore Taylor McGuire.

 “I miss going out on vacations and visiting family often because it makes me feel more distant from my family members who live far away. It’s also nice being able to sit around all the time though,” said senior Patrick Unger.

Everyone may have different feelings about their friendships and how the pandemic affected them, but it’s very important to stay open-minded when things get tough. Everyone is all getting through this together, and many students have never been through anything quite like this. Although this past year has been challenging for friendships, if everyone continues to follow the guidelines given for their safety, they will be able to safely see friends again.