In Covid-19, mental health seems to be at the bottom of the pile and needs to come to the top. Mental health has been made more apparent in Covid-19 and for many, it is now on the back-burner.
Mental Health issues
In my early years, it is because mental health wasn't obvious that I wasn’t aware I was dealing with mental health issues. It became obvious, when I was taken out of my comfort zone, a deep situation arose, I panicked, and very quickly it became apparent that I wasn't in control.
When mental health takes a knock, we become mentally stuck. Even though our everyday routines may not always change, not everyone recognises how they mentally or emotionally feel. As a child I didn’t thrive, and I didn’t make headway.
An Invisible Force
There was always an unforeseen force holding me back, stopping me from edging forward. Mentally I felt stuck. When we’re dealing with mental health issues, it's easy for us to feel emotionally stuck, to spiral down, to think and feel nothing.
Now in Covid-19, the world is open and we’re still dealing with the virus, life has moved on, the old life is gone, and we’re left with a new normal, a new normal that doesn’t resemble our old lives. That can cause mental health issues also.
Thinking about Mental Health
Mental health isn’t something you think about, until it gives you something to think about. Addressing mental health helps you get back on track; it makes you feel better about yourself, your life, your experiences, which means you're better equipped to cope.
External factors
External factors don’t drive change, we have to. In the pandemic, we need to want to change; we should be the change. We can change our mindset, we can make things happen, we can take control.
I chose to make things happen I chose to write about my emotions. I talk about my emotions in the pandemic. We can all talk about how we feel, we can become proactive and we can take control.
It's not surprising that living in the pandemic has affected those with pre-existing mental health conditions. Social isolation that we have experienced has harmed people’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
But we can do things to help change how we feel and help us to cope during this crisis. We can do things to help our mental wellbeing.
When the pandemic struck and spiked around the world, living through an international public health crisis, due to changes in our routines, our life and through lockdown, talking to others also, we've become stuck in our conscious, so it's time we tapped into something that can help us.
Your books and website are a fabulous source of help, guidance and inspiration and can help us change that, and I would recommend them to anyone.
Also, I find replying to your blogs here, such a great help to express thoughts and feelings with others too.
Thanks. Yes, I know what's gone into the books, I know how they can help us come through this slump. Like you, I hope others will choose to buy my books.
I agree with your thinking on how we have coped in Covid-19. Whilst there will be people have have coped better, none of us have endured a world pandemic before. It is important to be honest with ourselves and admit that we have struggled. Insomnia is also a 'thing' in the pandemic.
Now 18 months in and we are doing better, but we have also lost loved ones to Covid. I have struggled and still continue to struggle mentally. I have lost my liberty now because the UK government have lifted restrictions.
All their decisions have left us with mental struggles in one way or another over the last 18 months. It's important to be honest.