My Mental Health is Deteriorating
- Lockdowns: We all experienced the Spring 2020 lockdowns where non-essential businesses were forced to close, leaving many without a job and struggling to make ends meet. We all experienced the insane recommendations of spending less time outdoors in order to avoid contact with potentially sick pedestrians and limiting our time in stores by buying only the essentials. I personally used to run in the park and spend time on park benches to enjoy nature; many people also cluttered in parks. But many also didn’t. Many people get very scared and listen to everything the media and government tell them. That means many spent their days on end locked in their apartments staring out their windows in the midst of a brewing depressive and/or anxiety disorder. Some parts of the world today are still experiencing lockdowns, such as Australia. Doesn’t the government know that they contribute to mental health disorders ? Of course they do.
- Vaccinations: This is a very controversial one because half of Americans and many across the world, such as in Greece, France and Italy are weary about getting vaccinated, and rightfully so. These vaccines were released to the public in a year; the average vaccine trial takes about 14 years. In addition, Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines use mRNA technology to deliver the genetic material coding for the viral spike proteins. mRNA vaccines were never previously introduced unto the public; why did they introduce them now during a pandemic? In addition, these vaccines are still considered experimental vaccines and not FDA-approved. What are the long-term side effects? To make things even worse, local and state governments as well as the federal government have really been pushing vaccine mandates. NYC recently passed a law prohibiting unvaccinated people from indoor dining, going to the gym or any public events without proof of vaccination. Healthcare workers and many other businesses are now being mandated to become vaccinated or risk employment termination. Do you not think this raises the stress level of many people who rightfully so choose to be unvaccinated? This is increasing the anxiety level in many folks. On the other hand, considering that this is a pandemic, many believe that the benefits of becoming vaccinated outweigh the potential long-term risks of these vaccines, or perhaps even worse, becoming severely sick with the current deadly strain known as the Delta Variant. Both sides make great points, but this doesn’t mean that mental illness is not on the rise.
- Uncertainty about the future: Considering that the current vaccines only prevent severe illness from COVID and not minor illness, in addition to the observation of similar viral loads in vaccinated and unvaccinated people, will this not increase the chances of deadlier viruses appearing in the near future? I find it silly that the USA is going to provide booster shots starting the 20th of September, when many third world countries have still not gotten their first shots. Don’t they realize that new variants will arise in those countries, making booster shots essentially meaningless? The point of a booster shot is to raise your antibody levels back up to when you got your first or second shot 8 months ago, but if new variants will arise that will likely be immune to the current vaccines, what then is the point of booster shots? All of this is raising the stress levels in many people, causing them to become anxious and depressed, and many even isolated inside their homes.
What is your experience with mental health during this pandemic?
Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)
DSM (Defeating Stigma Mindfully) 