Fighting distractions, depression, and lack of motivation during COVID classes

Hi fellow “old” premeds,

I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for managing their mental wellbeing during this time. I am a 27 year-old DIY post-bac student finishing up prereqs right now in the hope of applying in the spring. However, since COVID hit, I have lost my ability to stay focused, motivated and have a constant battle with depression, though I started back on antidepressants a month ago hoping they would help, but so far they have not.
I started the year out well, getting a 3.8 in my first quarter, but then once everything went online and more personal/familial issues arose along the pandemic, each quarter has gotten dramatically worse, ending my summer quarter with less than a 3.0. I also work as a certified surgical technologist on the weekends. I have a constant battle in my head these days on whether I should give up medical school and continue a career as a surgical tech.
My current undergrad GPA is 3.5 and science GPA is 3.1. In order for me to stay within a good range, I need to get high grades for the rest of each class I take, but I have hit another wall and cannot get myself to study. I am currently taking O. Chem I and an undergraduate research class. I was also taking Physics II but dropped it due to falling behind. I was hoping to have a full course-load next quarter as well as start MCAT prep, but at this point I am not too optimistic. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

I’m right there with you! I graduated law school last December and had been so depressed and on meds but once I graduated I was starting to feel really good to the point I was able to get off 2 of the 3 antidepressants/mood stabilizers. However, my motivation has gone way down due to covid and the anxiety of not doing well academically. I’m legitimately ready to quit at this point. Yet, at the same time I keep telling myself that I want to be a doctor way too much to quit so I think you have to remind yourself of why you are doing this. If you have to take a semester off to recoup for the sake of your grades and health then maybe you should consider that. You are not alone! Good luck!