HIBER-NATION:

URNING 18 is a cherished milestone in every young Australian’s life, but missing the traditional party with family and friends is just one of countless occasions Australia’s teenagers have been denied during lockdown.

The impact of such disappointments won’t be measurable for some time, but there’s no doubt the pandemic has tested our young people in unprecedented ways.

Year 12 student Jake Edwards-Hanson (pictured bottom right) experienced a complicated range of emotions during lockdown, but said that overall he dealt with the lockdown quite well.

“When this first started, when everyone was freaking out about it, definitely I got really, really stressed, really anxious about it,” Jake said.

“After a while I just accepted that this was happening and I didn’t feel stressed anymore.

“However, my grandma is in a nursing home, so I was quite stressed, because they were in total lockdown. Not being able to see her and visit her was rough.”

One of his coping mechanisms was perspective. Knowing he was much better off than people in other parts of the world was reassuring. Connecting with friends on social media became a daily lifeline once his Sydney boys’ school St Paul’s moved to distance learning.

“I kept in touch with all of my friends over social media and just checked up on them,” he said. “I used Snapchat, Instagram and Discord. It was mostly just about general schoolwork and banter. But I just couldn’t believe that this was happening.

“We were so worried about how this was going to affect the school year. If we’d have to cancel the HSC and do it next year. Or if we would cancel all our formals and parties after the HSC is actually over.

“There was definitely a lot of stress built around that.”

Jake’s ability to keep his situation in perspective had another positive effect: he developed a deep sense of empathy for his northern hemisphere counterparts. A good friend in Colorado had both her graduation ceremony and prom cancelled, which made him feel lucky that both remained a possibility for his class.

“Some people do have it much worse. You do definitely feel for all those people over in the US, especially,” he said.

Reviving a childhood love of the card game Magic: The Gathering, as well as trying his hand at baking, Jake said he went for a lot of walks to his local beach during the lockdown.

“Just sitting on the rocks, putting on my headphones, listening to my favourite music and looking out at the water really, really helped me calm down,” he said.

“I just forgot about everything, cleared my head, came back home and got back to it.”

Youth and parent support service ReachOut has been accessed by more than 800,000 people since March 16 — that’s 10 people every minute.

ReachOut chief Ashley de Silva (left) said access to such free resources and services was essential for teenagers suffering with anxiety.

“What we’ve seen through our service is that there’s been a real need to adjust to the particulars of this experience, and that includes making sure there is coronavirus-specific resources and support available,” Mr de Silva said.

“When physical distancing came into effect, our specific coronavirus supports have been accessed more than 130,000 times, so you can see there is a real connection people are making to the challenges that they may be experiencing because of coronavirus.”

Amid all the unknowns, Jake is crystal clear about what he is most looking forward to: a second shot at one of those major milestones.

“I turned 18 in April and I didn’t get the chance to have a really big party. Just an empty house with all my mates and damn good music, lots of food, lots of fun and really good vibes. That’s just perfect,” Jake said.