COVID-19 took us by surprise when people started to really talk about it. It was said to be discovered in the end of 2019 originating in China. “Although large numbers of people throughout the world will show resilience to the profound loss, stress, and fear associated with COVID-19, the virus will likely exacerbate existing mental health disorders and contribute to the onset of new stress-related disorders for many.”(Horesh & Brown). Mental health is a very important thing during this hard time.
Many people are either paranoid or terrified of the virus if not both. Many families are suffering from terrible anxiety and stress because of how the virus is displayed through the media, they’re not able to work, and people around them are falling ill. “Although the vast majority of the population is not affected, media coverage, and the possible prospect of getting infected, causes great stress and anxiety.” We need to create counter measures for the deterioration of our mental health.
I feel as though after this pandemic many people will have stress disorders, higher levels of anxiety, and varying levels of paranoia. “In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears likely that there will be substantial increases in anxiety and depression, substance use, loneliness, and domestic violence; and with schools closed, there is a very real possibility of an epidemic of child abuse.”
When the public opens up we need to create resources to help get people active again. After being stuck at home for months on end people need to try to be more active to stimulate their brains. They can try activities with their friends and family or they can do things on their own to get a sense of basic human connection.
Once people get back to the outside world they will feel disconnected from society and more cautious to their surroundings. People will be in more of a primitive state than how they were before the outbreak. To prevent this state of mind we have to be more physically active; jogging around your property, playing with your pets, yoga, painting, cooking, and even some meditation. All these things can help regulate one’s state of mind instead of simply staring at a screen and eating because of boredom. Set goals, try to learn new things, pick up a new hobby and your mind will certainly feel refreshed by the end of the month.
-Avigail
Works Cited
Horesh, Danny, and Adam D Brown. “Traumatic Stress in the Age of COVID-19: A Call to Close Critical Gaps and Adapt to New Realities.” Psychological Trauma : Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32271070 .
Politi, L.S., Balzarini, L. The Radiology Department during the COVID-19 pandemic: a challenging, radical change. Eur Radiol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-06871-0
Galea, Sandro et al. “The Mental Health Consequences Of COVID-19 And Physical Distancing”. JAMA Network, 2020, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2764404
Horesh, D., & Brown, A. D. (2020). Traumatic stress in the age of COVID-19: A call to close critical gaps and adapt to new realities. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(4), 331-335. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000592
“To prevent this state of mind we have to be more physically active; jogging around your property, playing with your pets, yoga, painting, cooking, and even some meditation.”
I couldn’t agree more. I really appreciate the practical advice you offer in this piece, Avigail. If anything, this pandemic has shown us how important it is to do things that tend to our whole beings.
It was awesome having your unique perspective in class. Take good care.
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Thank you very much for being an awesome Professor:)
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“People will be in more of a primitive state than how they were before the outbreak.” I like your choice of words in this sentence, it perfectly represents the feeling that we have in this new world that we are living in today. Throughout this post I sense you have a real passion over the topics that you are discussing, which adds more power to your writing. Overall great writing, stay safe and keep your head up. ~Malcolm Y.
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“Many people are either paranoid or terrified of the virus if not both. Many families are suffering from terrible anxiety and stress because of how the virus is displayed through the media, they’re not able to work, and people around them are falling ill, I really like this comment because people in the world do not realize how much of an affect COVID-19 had on households. I like how you addressed a major issue that society does not realize. Great essay.
-Keion
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I feel like this whole COVID thing really does play a toll on your mental health. Being forced to stay inside some people are going insane because all you can do is just overthink and overthink.
I do agree with going outside or finding new hobbies does help a lot however. Hopefully this isn’t an all year thing though.
Stay safe !
– J
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