The Pandemic Journal Project is one of the most groundbreaking projects recording global feelings throughout a deathly pandemic, political theater, and controversial protests. More than 6,500 diary entries are kept on the platform founded by the Univerity of Connecticut and Brown Univerity. Journals are written by people of all ages, from more than twenty countries, with different ethnicities, gender, political affiliations, etc.
This project has mapped the increase of stress and anxiety felt by people all over the world in the midst of chaos: it documents “a landscape of everyday concerns, emotions, and expectations.” Writing is often viewed by therapists as a beneficial way for people to express and process emotions, but it is almost never collected and analyzed. These digitized entries allow researchers to explore “the real X-ray into the pandemic’s psychological impact.”
The change in moods throughout this last year is one of the factors documented in the Pandemic Journal Project. In early May, quarantine orders were established and the unfamiliar COVID-19 virus spread across the world; consequently, the first feelings recorded were “guilt, privilege, and gratitude.” From August to October, the Coronavirus started to affect more lives every day, the Black Lives Matter protests sparked differences in America, political divisions heightened with the election, and California faced one of the worst wildfires in history. Diarists were angry and distressed, one woman wrote “The pandemic has made everything feel like it’s falling apart.” By the winter, the spirit of the holidays diminished as it only brought memories of the loss of loved ones, families unable to see each other, and loneliness. There was a widespread feeling of exhaustion as the end to this dread still seemed far.
The Pandemic Journaling Project is still running, recording entries from people worldwide daily. In the future, it will be studied and evaluated by researchers, students, therapists, and many more. But, it also serves as a reminder and a way to look back upon the experiences of individuals that were going through a global pandemic. If you are interested in reading some entries or even writing in your own digital journal, visit The Pandemic Journaling Project.
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