By Kaliah Darby
COVID-19 has been an unexpected moment that has impacted the world in numerous ways. Our lifestyles have been altered greatly, we had to change the way we used to live now in this new world.
These changes were very drastic and sudden; no one was prepared for a pandemic like this. These were the types of things read about in history books. It was unexpected for this to become our reality.
There are many different people whose lives will forever be changed by this virus. The thought of death lingered on many people’s minds as we all took the precautions we needed to in order to stay alive. People were understandably more concerned about becoming physically ill so their mental health was most likely seen as insignificant. It brings me to my question: How has COVID-19 has impacted mental health?
To discuss this topic, I sat down with a close friend of mine whose lifestyle has changed drastically due to the virus. My friend Quadir is a very social person with many friends whom he enjoys spending time with, and I thought he would be the perfect candidate to discuss the impact of social distancing and COVID-19. Our conversation took place in the fall of 2020.
I asked Quadir how long he was isolated from the outside world and if he ever felt lonely or depressed during quarantine.
“The first three or four months until maybe June,” he started off, “I wasn’t really outside much.”
As mentioned before, Quadir is a very social person and this was all very different for him, as for many others.
“And yes, both,” he chuckles nervously as he answers in response to my question about feeling depressed or lonely. “It wasn’t a good feeling…the loneliness wasn’t fun, and it was depressing. It was hard staying inside everyday like a never-ending cycle.”
Quadir then expands on what he did to cope with his feelings. “I would try to go outside, meditate. Self-care.”
“What do you mean by ‘self-care’?” I asked curiously. “How?”
“I would try to do something I enjoy or something new. Go outside and look at nature,” Quadir stated simply.
I transitioned the topic by asking him if he knew anyone diagnosed COVID-19.
“Yes, I knew someone with COVID-19 and they didn’t pass away, thankfully,” he answered, sounding relieved. “I was scared knowing that someone I knew had it and the possibility that they could pass away. It made me feel more depressed at home knowing there was nothing I could do to help. I felt…hopeless?”
“And how did you feel when seeing the news about the death toll from COVID-19?” I questioned.
He took a long pause before answering. “I was scared because the numbers kept going up and there was nothing happening to change that. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. It was unpredictable.”
I then asked Quadir how he felt when the lockdown was over and stores began to reopen.
“Relieved,” he said firmly. “Kinda free like a breath of fresh air. I was still worried, but I felt better seeing people without the curfews they forced on us because of the looting that was happening along with the whole virus. I felt less lonely, but I was still cautious.”
“In your opinion, has your mental health been impacted negatively due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down?” I finally asked him.
“Yes. I still feel depressed sometimes from not being able to go outside and do things in our normal routine. Like some stores and restaurants are functioning differently, which is understandable, but it’s just not the same.”
I continued, “And do you believe that other people’s mental health is also going to be impacted as well?”
“I think that because I feel this way, many people are going to feel this way and may have had it worse than me, really. A lot of people may have not had the privilege I have had. Some people live in abusive households and were stuck due to the lock down. Imagine what that would do to someone who has no escape, no outlet. Everywhere was closed. There was no excuse to go anywhere,” he sighed. “[There were] no friend’s house they could stay over at the time because it was unsafe to do so.”
I finish by asking him for his opinion on the pandemic having a long-term effect on mental health.
“There’s going to be some type of fear lingering because of the virus and may cause anxiety. People may also come out of this with different mental illnesses, like depression, from being locked away for such a long time. I’ve noticed a lot of my friends have been feeling really depressed lately,” Quadir explains.
“One of my friends was upset over missing graduation and didn’t even want to continue school because of it. She said that the ceremony was the only thing she was really looking forward to, to motivate her to keep going. Another one of my friends, who is an essential worker, has been very stressed and felt like they were living the same day over and over again. Made them feel like they were going crazy. It’s going to be hard to recover if you’ve gone into a dark place during this lockdown.”
Quadir’s insight on this subject is very important. He, as well as other people, were impacted by the pandemic and feared for the worst. Quadir’s mental state became worse during this lockdown.
This is the reality for many others as well. Luckily, he knew of some great coping mechanisms to improve his anxiety. However, there are many people who aren’t aware of how to manage the symptoms they are experiencing.
Many people may also be afraid to get help, lack the education and resources, or simply are unsure where to even begin when it comes to treating it. This pandemic has potentially caused many people to develop some form of mental illness, whether it’s anxiety from being afraid of the virus infecting them, or experiencing depression & depersonalization from being locked indoors for months.
Quadir mentioned how he was able to escape his home to clear his head. This wasn’t the reality for many people who live in abusive homes. People who are experiencing abuse are often left out of the mental health conversation because certain coping mechanisms are impossible for them to actually use. In this case, it’s important to study the signs of abuse and be there for your friends and family — you never know what could be happening behind closed doors.
Overall, mental health awareness needs to be enforced in workplaces and schools as we all return back to our daily routines. Many people may be unknowingly experiencing symptoms of a mental illness and fighting mental battles alone when there are ways to help conquer these unfortunate thoughts and feelings.
