Students' Experiences with a Mental Health-Promoting Daily Life During COVID19: Balancing Predictability and Joy

In March 2020, higher education institutions experienced a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of the lockdown on students' mental health. The lockdown situation was unprecedented and describing the variety of experiences is therefore important. This study aims to describe students' lived experiences of how student life promoted mental health and wellbeing in everyday life under various degrees of lockdown during the pandemic. Twelve students from a Norwegian university were interviewed online. Phenomenological analysis was used. The essence of their experiences can be described as a balance between predictability and joy based on two themes: making sense in isolation and me related to the outside world. This balance was achieved through the students' own effort to create appropriate routines in their everyday lives and facilitate the achievement of their goals, allowing them to take initiative, feel included and disrupt the often monotonous COVID-19 lockdown. Universities need to offer as many in-person meeting points, spaces where small groups of students can meet, and interactive lectures as possible.