Juli Spencer is a brand strategist and interactive copywriter, specializing in corporate branding and consumer communications. She connects people to ideas through values-based, audience-targeted messaging. She is also a student in the M.S. program in Strategic Communication.
There's no way to escape hearing about or seeing the grim statistics of depression and suicides on the rise since the arrival of COVID-19. Humans are social creatures. We need loved ones to thrive, and when we're cut off abruptly from our support structures, we can easily fall victim to negative thoughts and impulses.
According to the CDC:
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During June 24 30, 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19.
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Communities have faced mental health challenges related to COVID-19, including associated morbidity, mortality, and mitigation activities.
Humans are social creatures. We need loved ones to thrive, and when we're cut off abruptly from our support structures, we can easily fall victim to negative thoughts and impulses."
In addition, economic stress and barriers to healthcare continue to cause burden as we're still in the throes of this pandemic. We don't yet know the full impact of these factors on our collective mental health, but there are steps we can take to mitigate their effects. The U.S. has surmounted large scale trauma before. Patience, fortitude, and collaboration light the path. While we cannot prematurely approve vaccines and therapeutics to bring the pandemic to an immediate halt, we can bolster mental health during the crisis.
When I first hunkered down and began social distancing, I wondered if the giant malaise blob of doom would come for me too, but it hasn't — for good reason. If you are proactive in your approach, you can avoid it too. Here's what to do.
1. Consider alternatives
In March, when the infection rates in the Northeast began to creep steadily upwards, I read article after article, desperate to stumble onto a solution to this deadly disease. I thought perhaps, even with my very limited background in science, I would somehow see what others couldn't, make a connection that no one else had. I was convinced it would be something growing in my backyard, or on a seldom-used shelf of my pantry. Even if I couldn't find it myself, I at least wanted to read about it immediately. The problem just had to be solved, and until it was, I would remain in a hypervigilant state.
Knowing that this wasn't ideal, and that I was probably letting loose an onslaught of stress hormones that would only ultimately do more harm than good, I tried to adjust my thinking. "Psychologists call the process of altering the framework through which you analyze an issue 'restructuring'. Once you've reached an impasse, restructuring is often the only way to overcome it" (Mlodinow, 2019, p. 99). I needed to accept that I couldn't solve COVID-19, at least not for now, and that meant shifting a paradigm. My existing paradigm rendered me powerless since I could not fix COVID-19, but in fact the exact opposite was true. My true power came from solving other problems — smaller scale, day-to-day problems — like how to procure groceries, for example.
I needed to accept that I couldn't solve COVID-19, at least not for now, and that meant shifting a paradigm."
2. Connect with others
"Disasters create a community of sufferers that allows individuals to experience an immensely reassuring connection to others" (Junger, 2016 p. 53). As anyone who has been through a shared traumatic experience can tell you, sharing trauma with others strengthens bonds.
The connection comes from sharing a similar frame of reference, as well as feelings unique to only those directly involved or affected by that experience in common. Alcoholics anonymous members, cancer survivors, and war refugees are all groups who develop these bonds with one another.
Now is the time to focus attention on our shared humanity. When politics or social unrest threatens to drive its nasty wedge, don't let it. A friend of mine recently tore into another friend's post on Facebook about Nancy Pelosi's unmasked hair salon pic. Don't take the bait on social media, or anywhere else for that matter. Focus the conversation back on commonalities, as we are more alike than different. Rather than calling out others on their haircut etiquette, recognize the shared humanity of haircuts as a logistical battle for ALL during a global pandemic.
Now is the time to focus attention on our shared humanity."
3. Commune with nature
People have consumed more streamed content over the course of the past few months than ever before. Folks are watching Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and YouTube with a gluttony reminiscent of Dante's third circle. Movies, TV series, documentaries...oh my! Step away from the screen, my friend. Or, at least take some breaks once in a while.
It's easy to veg out on the couch hour after hour, or to curl up in bed to binge-watch the latest season of insert-title-here show, but this type of inactivity is not likely to improve your mental health. Instead, take your cues from Finland, a culture famous for time spent outdoors. According to Liisa Tyrvainen, a researcher at Luke Natural Resources Institute Finland, "Just a 15 minute walk in the woods can help lower stress and blood pressure and relax tense muscles. You don't need to hire a forest therapy guide, trail run, or go for an all-day hike to reap the benefits of Mother Nature. For Finns, the forest is akin to a church or temple" (Pantzar, 2018, p. 90).
Whether you choose to walk, garden, bike, play tennis or paddle a kayak, make a point of getting out. Getting fresh air is good for you, and as it turns out outside is one of the few places where it's actually okay to socialize (from a safe distance of course).
Follow the three Cs: consider alternatives, connect with others, commune with nature. Phone a friend and bond while you stroll, you may just restructure your outlook along the way. Yes, we're living through a pandemic, and yes it's awful in myriad ways, but if we concentrate on these three deceivingly simple yet powerfully effective principles, even in the face of crisis, we can safeguard our mental health and emerge stronger for it.
REFERENCES
Junger, S. (2016). Tribe: On homecoming and belonging. New York, USA: Twelve.
Mlodinow, L. (2019). Elastic: Unlocking our brain's ability to embrace change. New York, USA: Vintage Books.
Pantzar, K. (2018). The Finnish way: Finding courage, wellness, and happiness through the power of sisu. New York, USA: TarcherPerigree.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any other person or entity.
