Why I Picked ‘Wellness in a Pandemic’ as My Beat

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began people all over the world have been struggling to find some sense of “normal.” Work lives were interrupted, causing many offices to shut down. People were laid off, struggling to make ends meet. Campuses were shut down and students of all ages were sent home.

It’s hard to find wellness in a time where you can’t tell which way is up.

According to the University of California Davis wellness is defined as “an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.” It’s everything from working out, to meditation, to reading a book, to cooking and literally everything in between.

The current situation has been a significant adjustment for everyone, which has led to increased stress levels. Stress interrupts the balance of other areas of wellness. It’s a true domino effect.

People now have to worry about the safety of a simple trip to the grocery store or how to celebrate a 21st birthday.

Celebrating my 21st birthday, by opening gifts from six feet away and wearing a max.

It’s because of the constant uncertainty and importance of wellness that I’ve decided to cover wellness in a pandemic throughout the semester. It’s something I’ve focused on during my struggles with quarantine and I’m interested to look into all the ways wellness has been impacted by COVID-19.

This beat allows me to explore the broad subject of wellness, while also narrowing down the idea of healthy living in a pandemic. It offers a lot of creativity to the kinds of stories I can do such as profiles on people, offering tips from professionals and even just discussing the idea of wellness in general.

Wellness isn’t just the idea of being physically fit. It’s taking the time to stay in tune with yourself. The pandemic has put a completely different spin on how humans engage with their wellness — it’s not just avoiding sickness anymore.

This beat offers me the opportunity to expand from my typical sports journalism beat and dive into all types of journalism including news, arts, medical and so many more.