How to record your mental health each year in the Covid Pandemic

How to record your mental health each year in the Covid Pandemic

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We talked about relationship issues, depression and anxiety, and the other stressors of everyday life. No distance, no masks.

There was this vague idea of ​​an impending pandemic. But we felt that if anything of this threat came, it would probably inconvenience our lives for a week or two and then slip into forgotten history.

In fact, the new coronavirus barely appeared in my sessions this week.

That was at the time I call the Before Times. The following weeks were disturbing and frightening, unlike what most of us have experienced in our lifetime. In one Zoom session the following week – the first week I ever heard of Zoom and downloaded it for my work – I compared the quarantine to 9/11 by talking to one of my teenage clients. She quickly points out a major difference.

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In 2001 we were respond. At the end of that terrifying day, the damage was done. In March 2020, as she put it, “This is the first scene of the scariest movie. We know there’s a monster under the bed that will kill people and wreak havoc. We just do not know how bad it’s going to get. not. “

During the first few months of the crisis, we were jointly on standby. Therapy sessions immediately became discussions about managing the fear and anxiety of the pandemic life, for my clients and their families – and also for me. With all the sudden changes, including remote classrooms, the creation of work-from-home protocols, and the creation of new social norms, we were all out of our minds, out of our ordinary context, and out of sorts.

We have lost so much in this year of devastation, so many of the normal life markers we take for granted. We missed graduation ceremonies, holidays, sports seasons, plays, weddings, funerals, hugs, spontaneity and just contact with friends and family. Many of us have lost people we love.

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Meanwhile, negativity and judgment run high, and most cases are politicized, to the point of wearing masks. As a result, people feel disconnected and isolated. More of my clients have experienced a greater sense of confidence than ever before. Many of us feel a degree of hopelessness and despair that we could not have imagined a year ago.

In this week of remembrance, many of us feel that we are left with few of the good elements of our lives.

What a huge difference a year makes. What’s next?

With the distribution of vaccines and a new, new normal that apparently starts to fit during the next year, what can we do to manage emotionally the best and even thrive?

We can do a hard reset

Most of us have experienced some revelations about our lives throughout the course of the pandemic.

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Maybe we realize that we have spent too many hours at the office unnecessarily. For those traveling home, we may have learned that we really benefit from spending much more time together as a family, and that the emotional bank accounts we share with each other have larger balances than they have ever had before.

Through the forced togetherness, we may have subconsciously discovered that we need more time alone, reading, listening to music, meditating or just sitting quietly.
Taking a few minutes to meditate once or twice a day can greatly help improve mental health.

I strongly urge you to study the lessons you learned during the course of the pandemic and, to the extent reasonable, to implement them in your new normal life.

Going from inertia to movement

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We all know that exercise is a critical part of our physical well-being, but it also promotes our emotional health.

As the pandemic approaches year two, many of us have become increasingly inert, causing us to put anxious energy into our bodies. It is important to get started, whether you are walking, running, picking up or collecting dust in the basement on the exercise bike.
Go outdoors and move in the fresh air every day.

You do not have to be an Olympian, but you will benefit from exercise every day. Take a walk around the block. Then two. Make it a promise to yourself.

Find meaning and take action

Many of my clients tell me that they have not only hit a wall of fatigue and anxiety, but also an existential crisis regarding the meaning of their lives. The opportunity here is to learn from what you have attracted over the past year and what you have missed. Study these guidelines to advance your decision making in the coming year. Once you have taken the look inside, make a plan and take action.
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I have a client who is changing from bank to counseling and decided she would like her life work to help others. Another client realized she had always regretted never learning an instrument. She takes violin lessons, for now, and enjoys and finds meaning in the process. And finally, I work with a couple who were about to divorce a year ago. They have decided to invest in their relationship again and are diligently trying to make it work.

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Get help

We have seen a movement in recent years to remove the stigma of mental illness.

If you are struggling to cope with dark days, seek out an online support group or one-on-one therapy sessions.
Celebrities have come forward and declared that they are suffering from depression, anxiety, eating disorder or some kind of emotional illness. De facto support groups have increased on every social media platform. The pandemic amplified these voices. And most every therapist I know has reported complete practices over the past year, an indication that more people, of all ages, are open to therapy during a difficult time.

If you are struggling or have a tantalizing feeling that you want to address something, I would encourage you to seek out therapy regularly for you and possibly for your children.

Treat mental health like physical health, and work not only to treat emotional illness, but to maintain emotional well-being. I hope that in a year’s time we will realize that this trend of starting to treat mental health is a change that is continuing.

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