Experiencing A Global Pandemic: surviving the crisis + the impact on mental health
March 19, 2020
Experiencing A Global Pandemic: surviving the crisis + the impact on mental health
I never in a million years
thought I would be experiencing something like this. When I was younger, my biggest fears were
getting kidnapped, my house catching on fire, and missing my favorite TV show. Now, I’m currently living with the biggest
fear I never knew I had: a global pandemic.
My
brain is trying to comprehend everything.
How this situation evolved to what it is currently. The first time I remember even hearing
someone mention the word “coronavirus” was probably back in January, when the
news first broke about the outbreak in China.
To be honest, I was one who thought maybe it would just stay over there
and be merely some “foreign disease.” I
was wrong. It didn’t take long for this
thing to find its way into our country’s borders. That was when I knew it wouldn’t be long
before it came to my state. And it
did. It continued to spread and become
the crisis it is now.
I have never seen gas prices
so low.
I have never seen so many of
my favorite places close their doors.
I have never seen the shelves at
the grocery store so empty.
I have never seen people fight
over toilet paper.
I have never seen so many
lives turned upside down.
But this is our new reality-
for the next few weeks, months, and possibly years.
As a
side note, being a business student, I am quite intrigued with how this
pandemic will affect the economy in the years to come. But I am not here to talk about the economic
impact of this situation. Maybe the next
post will be about economics, but right now I want to talk about mental
health. Mine and yours. For some of us, this is going to take a huge
toll on our mental health over the next few weeks. I personally am not one who is easy going
when it comes to change. Change is my
worst enemy and I have been fighting it for the last several months as I adjust
to the new lifestyle I have. Now I must
fight it in the face of a global pandemic.
It
feels as though everything is turned upside down. I cannot go to work, I cannot go to school, I
cannot see my friends and the people I love the most. It’s hard to believe this is a new reality
for all of us. What scares me the most
is how long it is going to last. Already
it’s been months, and the virus does not show signs of slowing down anytime
soon. I hope and pray that is gone by the
time summer comes around, but everything is so uncertain right now. That’s another thing that is making me
anxious- the uncertainty of the situation.
I feel very nervous and worried not knowing what might happen next. I keep telling myself that it cannot possibly
get any worse, but we have been warned the worst is still yet to come.
However,
despite these thoughts and fears, I am still holding onto a thread of
hope. There is always a light at the end
of the tunnel. In the meantime, I want
to share with you guys some of the things I have been doing while being self-quarantined.
1. Get up at your usual time
Sleeping in is actually not good
for your body. Get enough rest, but try
to get up early and start your day as you normally would
2. Get ready for the day
This was a big one for me. I have found that I feel better if I still
get dressed and do my makeup and hair as I would if I was going out for the day.
3. Work on projects you didn’t
have time to do before
Now that you have all the time
in the world, pick up a new hobby or do a house project you’ve been wanting to
do for a while. I’ve been using this
time to work on my blog and YouTube channel (subscribe for quarantine vlogs.)
4. Get outside
As long as you social distance
yourself from anyone you may encounter, getting outdoors will help unleash
those stuffy feelings and allow you some fresh air.
5. Reflect
I’ve been taking this time to
look back on the last several months and evaluate some things I need to work on
as well as applaud myself for the good changes I’ve made. Use this time away from other people to work
on and take good care of yourself.
I hope this was helpful to
some of you who may be experiencing the same feelings I am. I hope that we will all be able to return to normalcy
soon; but in the meantime, wash your hands, stay home, and stay healthy.
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