Being Depressed and Anxious Amid A Pandemic
By Emma Kiger
Social interaction can be a useful way to bring a person out of a depression or anxiety spell. Being around groups of people has now been eliminated, due to social distancing. For several months, social distancing limited the amount of social interaction to less than ten people only when necessary. The Covid-19 Outbreak has eliminated all social gatherings, school, bars, restaurants, and even some parks. So how is a person with anxiety and depression supposed to cope and still feel “normal” while social distancing? This is new for everyone.
Being depressed is more than feeling bummed out. It is a loss of interest in enjoyable activities, lack of interest in socializing, feeling hopeless, feelings of guilt, overthinking, and thoughts of suicide or death (https://www.studentsagainstdepression.org). Feeling anxious is overthinking, trouble concentrating, restlessness, and impending danger. Coping with these feelings can be even more difficult while social distancing or being quarantined in your apartment.
During this difficult time of Covid-19, I had to spend two weeks away from work and friends after traveling out of state around the time of spring break. Spending two weeks in my apartment and with myself was an experience I would rather not repeat again. My sleep health suffered, my mental health suffered, and so did my physical health. But I would do it again if it meant that I would save someone from the spread of the virus. I had to get very creative with myself while spending time on my own.
For me, it was important that I kept my brain occupied. I had to be focused on something; that way I did not let my emotions take over. There were times where my emotions did take over. But that was expected considering the world we live in right now. In those moments I let myself feel what I needed to feel. I felt overwhelmed, anxious, sad, and very lonely. But I was able to cope with the situation by finding things to do in my apartment.
First, I went through my room and found activities that would stimulate my brain. I found an old Rubik’s cube, adult coloring books, and books to read for enjoyment. I spent time watching movies that I had wanted to see but never really found the time too. I called family members that were owed a phone call. I was able to finally catch up on sleep that I had neglected over the last several months.
In this time of craziness, it is okay to feel your emotions to the fullest. The world is in a place of uncertainty. So many lives were just halted and altered due to the pandemic. Change can cause so many different feelings. Emotions are being felt that a person may not be used to feeling. That is completely okay. Some people may show their emotions in different ways than what we are used to. For some it may look like getting mad, withdrawing from others, sadness, anxiety, and depression. It is okay to feel the negative parts of yourself. It is okay to have bad days. We all need to remember to cut people some slack during this time. It is the people vs. the virus. We all need to continue to support each other during the pandemic.
References
Grace, J. (2020, March 27). Anxiety, Depression and COVID-19: Now's the Time to Feel Our Feelings - Here's 8 Ways How to. Retrieved from https://blogs.psychcentral.com/neurodivergent/2020/03/anxiety-depression-and-covid-19-nows-the-time-to-feel-our-feelings-heres-8-ways-how-to/
Melendez, Z. (2020, April 9). 5 Simple Tips to Reduce Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/blog/5-simple-tips-to-reduce-anxiety-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Sherman, A. (2020, April 24). One Tool for Calming Anxiety During Covid and Beyond. Retrieved from https://blogs.psychcentral.com/dysfunction/2020/04/one-tool-for-calming-anxiety-during-covid-and-beyond/