By Anne Welsh at Painless Universal
May 11th 2020
To you it might be nothing, to another it might just be so complicated they can’t bear another day. There is an unexpected power of the face to face human connection. But in times like this it is important to pay special attention to the realities of battling mental illness.
Some people will experience panic attacks and a prolonged episode of severe depression as they cope with the feelings of guilt and loss from COVID 19. But what I have realised depending on how you are brought up, circumstances you have had to overcome over the years, your mental illness will affect us all differently
Depression often manifests in a complete loss of energy, with the individual appearing utterly disconnected in their task unable to sit up for longer period of time or make eye contact with their peers as they might be too afraid to face the world. The accompanying panic attacks are just as physically draining, but in shorter bursts.
So often when we talk about mental health, it’s described as either intractable or a problem with a clear solution, but this is not normally the case. With Covid19 some people’s progress and how they will deal with everything going on can be gradual, with the help of medication, a lot of hesitation to plan the next day as they are not sure what tomorrow will bring. It sets a reminder of their previous fear which in turns triggers heir depression and panic attack.
Another fear is not being able to connect with people or adjusting to the new norm of staying home in quarantine. Not everyone is used to this way of life as it puts more pressure on you to reach out to people and talk to them via a different method of communicating. The feeling of helplessness is all around us and more even common than people realise. This is the time to focuses on our vulnerability to see how we can numb it and find our ability to move forward. At Painless Universal it’s OK to not feel OK.
While Mental health is complicated, having a caring nature and giving out lots of love to someone else can greatly help your mental wellbeing.