Pandemics and mental health, not a great combo?
We’re back.
The last month (read: year?) and a bit has been rough - as I’m sure every single person living right now can agree with. Lockdown is weird. A second lockdown, for some reason, feels even worse. We got a tiny taste of freedom, and now? We’re back to nothing and it’s chilly (this post ends on a happy note, stay with me).
I’ve definitely had bouts of extreme sadness and plenty of unwarranted existential crises (I blame the philosophy minor and Frank Ocean) with all the free time we have now - I know it’s a good thing to work through all these things, but SHIT it’s hard.
It also feels worse when you think you’re the only one going through it right now — but you’re absolutely not.
The primary way we see the world now is through social media before obviously you’d catch up with friends and hear about how they’re really doing. Before it was way easier to get outside your “bubble” and meet new people, hear different points of view of life etc.
Now all you see is people posting cute, creative, quarantine activities on social media - a socially distanced birthday surprise party in the park, fun zoom night, someone is learning a language and starting a business while I’m over here with big Saturday night plans of ordering a new mattress (something I didn’t end up doing because I got overwhelmed with all the choices so I watched five episodes of Fresh Prince and called it a night ✌️).
All that to say, we’re not experiencing reality; all we see is a curated one. This isn’t new, pre-pandemic era people only also posted about the good, showing off a “highlight reel of their life”. The difference is that we used to be able to more easily connect with people and realize that no one’s lives actually looked like that. Now, we don’t have that reality check. We’re isolated from each other. It makes it easier to get sad, easier to feel like you’re not doing enough, and easy enough to compare your own reality to some idyllic one social media portrays - one where everyone is having fun and handling the pandemic SO WELL but you.
Reality check. We’re not okay!
Look I have a quote to prove it,“I am not okay.” - Me, yesterday.
(And if you want real proof 50% of Canadian’s reported worsening mental health since the pandemic began, one in 10 Canadian’s said their mental health has worsened “a lot”, and 81% of Canadian workers reported that the pandemic is negatively impacted their mental health. I’m no math genius but I know those numbers AIN’T HOT.)
This shit is HARD. It’s not natural to have to be disconnected from friends and family.
Just know that if you’re feeling down, lonely, isolated — anything, you are not alone. Be vulnerable to have that conversation with your friends and family and say that you are struggling because odds are, they are too.
We’re going to get through this together (as cliche and High School Musical as it sounds).