There is a lot being published about pandemic mental health. The stress placed on people because of job loss, isolation, interaction with family, inability to exercise; are all factors leading to mental health issues. What can we do to improve our mental health during this pandemic? I have found some answers that will help in several ways.
Pandemic Mental Health
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “The Covid-19 pandemic has alarming implications for individual and collective health and emotional and social functioning.“
This has become a very serious problem and people are suffering from many forms of mental and emotional problems.
Why does Pandemic Effect Mental Health
I remember in March 2020, when I first felt the effects of the pandemic. My husband and I were living for a year in a small town in Illinois that doesn’t have any grocery stores. All of my adult life we have been taught to be prepared, with supplies and food in case of an emergency. My family took that very seriously, and have always kept extra supplies on hand. And, as questions arose, we were told to go across the Mississippi River and obtain food and necessary supplies.
Arriving in the WalMart in Keokuk, Iowa, I noticed immediately that many of the shelves were absolutely empty, and the store was full of people with shopping carts full to the brim. What was happening? All of a sudden I felt panic. Here I had prepared for so many years, and now we were totally unprepared, without food or supplies to survive. I know that most people experienced those same things and began to feel panic and fear. This fear rapidly spread throughout the world as reality set it.
People were losing jobs, schools were closing, churches were closing, sporting events ceased, and we were asked to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary to go out.
Finally, it became apparent that we would need to leave Illinois and return to our home in Arizona. The drive home felt very strange because it was hard to find places to eat and restrooms open. We felt uneasy staying in hotels, because of fear of the virus. Frequent handwashing and sanitizing of items became the norm.
Loss of Freedoms
Businesses were shut down, some never to return. In fact, authorities giving mixed messages make it confusing, so no one knew for sure what was true. We were asked to comply to public health measures; such as wear masks, and social distancing; that did not feel right to many people. We feel like our freedom is being infringed upon by mandates. In America, we do not respond well to mandates. After all, Freedom is something we cherish and rely on.
Our country was founded on religious freedom, yet we were told we could not attend church. This has been very emotionally difficult for many people throughout the world. Parents are feeling the stresses of having children at home instead of in school. This is not only hard on the parents, but has very negative effects on the children. Furthermore, they do not learn as well, and they miss the necessary interactions with teachers and students.
Other Stresses
Stresses occur as people receive stay-at-home orders, are asked to quarantine, go into hospitals alone with no support from family or friends and even worse; the elderly in care facilities, are no longer allowed to have visitors. As a matter of fact, these things lead to feeling of isolation, depression, irritability, anger and frustration.
As jobs are threatened and many lost, unhealthy behaviors occur, including; substance abuse, spouse and child abuse and in extreme cases even suicide.
What Can We Do
It is important during this time to find meaningful things to do, to help alleviate the stresses.
- Get out in the fresh air and walk or ride bikes
- Have Zoom meetings with family and friends
- Get creative and make something new
- Paint a room or rearrange furniture
- Learn a new hobby or skill
- Give meaningful service
- Read to shut-ins or grandchildren on Skype
- Send thank you notes to healthcare workers, or first responders
- Write in a gratitude journal daily
Therefore, it is important for our mental health to find meaningful things to do to lift our spirts and keep our feelings or loneliness away. As you find things to do, you feel better and those around you feel better as well. I encourage you to choose each day to do something meaningful to maintain healthy mental health.
Response Magic