Every fourth student feels anxious about the pandemic. How to help yourself?

Almost every third student of Vytautas the Great University (VDU) and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) is afraid of news related to COVID-19, and every fourth student feels increased anxiety or symptoms of depression after reading the news, according to a study conducted by VDU and LSMU research team , preliminary results.¹ Such statistics and the problems heard from the students themselves about the difficulties during the pandemic prompted the VMU Student Representation (SA), in cooperation with the VMU Psychology Clinic, to organize online a discussion about how we can each help ourselves during this unusual time. In it, psychologist Assoc. will share advice. Dr. Morning Pakrosni.

The discussion will touch on the topics of anxiety and stress management, time planning and creating a favorable emotional environment. These questions are especially relevant before the session, when students have to pay for the work done during the semester and prepare for exams.

Ieva Vengrovskaja, coordinator of the Social Affairs Committee of VDU SA, who moderates the discussion, says that after moving to a distance, the students' psychological problems only became apparent: "We are already going through the second quarantine, but this one can be even more complicated. Now we see a much worse epidemiological situation and the virus has affected us much more than in the spring. In addition, negative emotions usually intensify in the autumn-winter period."

I. Vengrovskaja says that R. Pakrosnis, who was invited to the discussion, is a truly professional psychologist: "His areas of professional interest include the psychology of human change, research into the effectiveness of the process of solution-focused therapy and its application in various contexts, research into the effectiveness of psychotherapy, positive psychology, and issues of free will." According to the coordinator of the social affairs committee, R. Pakrosnis is well-known among students and is able to answer the questions clearly and simply.

The live broadcast of the debate will take place today at 14:00. VMU Student Representations in a Facebook account. You can ask your question on the sli.do platform: #savipagalba.

This discussion is part of the "Dynamic Dialogues" series of live broadcasts by the VMU Student Representative Office, the purpose of which is to discuss issues relevant to students together with experts from various fields.