How to take stock of your mental health a year after the Covid pandemic

How to take stock of your mental health a year after the Covid pandemic

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We talked about relationship problems, depression and anxiety, and other stressors in everyday life. No distance, no masks.

There was a vague idea of ​​an impending pandemic. But we felt that if something were to happen with this threat, it would probably be a nuisance for our lives for a week or two, and then it would go down in history that would soon be forgotten.

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

That was when I called Before Times. The following weeks were disorienting and frightening, contrary to what most of us have experienced in life. In a Zoom session the following week – the first week I heard about Zoom, downloading it for my work – I compared the quarantine to 9/11 when talking to one of my teenage clients. She quickly pointed out a very important difference.

Many teenagers live online, alone. See how to stay connected in the pandemic

In 2001, we were reacting. At the end of that scary day, the damage was done. In March 2020, as she said, “This is the first scene in the scariest movie. We know that there is a monster under the bed that will kill people and wreak havoc. We just don’t know how bad it is going to get.”

During the first months of the crisis, we were collectively on high alert. Therapy sessions instantly became discussions about how to control the fear and anxiety of pandemic life, for my clients and their families – and for me, too. With all the sudden changes, including remote classrooms, the establishment of protocols for working at home and the creation of new social norms, we were all out of our element, out of our usual context and outstanding.

We have lost so much in this year of devastation, so many of the normal markers of life that we normally take for granted. We miss graduations, holidays, sports seasons, plays, weddings, funerals, hugs, spontaneity and we only relate face to face with friends and family. Many of us lose people we love.

Losing our sense of control during the pandemic

Meanwhile, negativity and judgment are on the rise, with almost all issues being politicized, even wearing masks. As a result, people feel disconnected and isolated. More of my clients report experiencing a greater sense of doubt than ever before. Many of us feel a degree of hopelessness and despair that we could not have imagined a year ago.

In this anniversary week, many of us feel that we have very little left of the good elements in our lives.

What a huge difference a year makes. What is the next?

With vaccines being widely distributed and a new, new normal apparently approaching leaps and bounds over the next year, what can we do to better manage emotionally and even thrive?

We can do a hard reset

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

Increased false displacement and why it is good for your mental health

Perhaps we realize that we spend too much time in the office, unnecessarily. For social detachment at home, we may have learned that we really benefit from a lot more time together as a family, and that the emotional bank accounts we share are enjoying larger balances than, perhaps, they have ever had before.

Through forced union, we may have inadvertently discovered that we need more time alone, reading, listening to music, meditating or just sitting in silence.
Taking a few minutes to meditate once or twice a day can go a long way in improving mental health.

I strongly recommend that you take stock of the lessons you learned during the pandemic and implement them, as far as is reasonable, in your new normal life.

Going from inertia to movement

5 ways to increase your walk

We all know that movement is a critical component for our physical well-being, but it also strengthens our emotional health.

As the pandemic approaches its second year, many of us have become increasingly inert, allowing our anxious energy to remain in our bodies. It is crucial to move, whether you walk, run, get up or ride an exercise bike accumulating dust in the basement.
Go outside and get some fresh air every day.

You don’t have to be an Olympian, but you will benefit from the movement every day. Take a walk around the block. Then two. Make a promise to yourself.

Find the meaning and act

Many of my clients tell me that they have reached not only a pandemic wall of fatigue and anxiety, but an existential crisis in relation to the meaning of their lives. The opportunity here is to learn from what you have been attracted to over the past year and what you have lost. Take an inventory of these guidelines to help guide your decision making in the coming year. And after looking inside, make a plan and take action.
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I have a client who is changing careers, from banking to consulting, deciding that she would like her life’s work to involve helping others. Another client realized that she always regretted never having learned an instrument. She is taking violin lessons, virtually for now, and really enjoying and finding meaning in the process. And finally, I am working with a couple who have been on the verge of divorce for a year. They have decided to reinvest in their relationship and are diligently trying to make it work.

SEE MORE INFORMATION: People of color create their own online mental health services

Get help

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

If you are struggling to cope with dark days, look for an online support group or individual therapy sessions.
Celebrities have declared that they suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorder or some other emotional illness. Support groups have indeed grown on all social media platforms. The pandemic amplified those voices. And almost all of the therapists I know have reported complete practices during the past year, an indication that more people, of all ages, are open to therapy during a difficult period.

If you are struggling or have an uncomfortable feeling that there is something you would like to address, I would encourage you to seek therapy, for you and possibly your children on a regular basis.

Treat mental health like physical health and work not only to treat emotional illness, but to maintain emotional well-being. I hope that a year from now, we will discover that this trend to start treating mental health is a change that persists.

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