“I’m out of work, depressed, and socially anxious. COVID has ruined my life.”
This is a statement from one recent client. It’s real – COVID has changed the layout of our lives and it’s hitting us harder and harder as time goes on. Not only are we burnt out, frustrated, socially isolated and sick – our anxiety and depressive disorders are getting worse. No one would have expected such a turn of events. We are dealing with everyday trauma. This is COVID Breakdown.
So what do we do?
Well, we have a few choices:
- Seethe in frustrations, tantrums and complaints. Be mad at the government, the hospitals, our spouses and kids – and ourselves
- Become oblivious numb and dissociate. Give up on healthy living, watch Netflix and order another burger and fries from UberEats.
- Or, we take action.
It is very well documented that behavioural activation improves symptoms for those with depression. We know that reaching out and helping a friend in need makes us feel good about ourselves and creates connection.
Yes, our circumstance is stressful and I don’t deny that a lot of you reading this are feeling really, well pretty awful, but I want to challenge you to take ONE action.
- Call one friend and check in to see how they are doing.
- Get outside and walk 5 blocks.
- Make that healthy cookie recipe that you’ve always wanted to make.
- Cozy up on the coach and read a book instead of staying on screens.
And there are so many other good self-care options that I’ll share over the next few weeks to keep you sane…but the point is – DO ONE THING. Do one thing from the self-care list and focus on its positive effects, savour its benefits, focus your attention on how it nourishes you and then maybe try another.
Self-care is a bit elusive, we are told to do it all the time. What I think bogs us down is that we try to do too much. So in the next 24 hours I encourage you, do ONE thing. More will come later, but take ONE action.
And if you are feeling like you need more support with don’t hesitate to reach out to our care manager who can point you in the right direction of professional help or free community resources to help you cope.
We are in this together.
Leah Weisberg, RN BScN BC-NC
Leah is a Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse, Psychotherapist and Founder & CEO at Dynamic Health Collaborative. She is passionate about providing mental health services that consider one’s mind, body and relationships. In addition to providing private emotion-focused psychotherapy services, Leah teaches mindfulness classes, leads a team of over a dozen practitioners at her clinic, and collaborates with organizations on creating awareness of emotional and mental health concerns. She can be reached by emailing [email protected]