The COVID-19 pandemic was nothing anyone could have prepared for. Now that it has taken over the United States, we are all feeling symptoms from the pandemic, whether we’re infected with the virus or not.
With schools, shops, restaurants and almost all human interaction being taken away from us in such a short time, many of us don’t know how to cope with everything going on in our lives.
While schools being shut down give some people a false sense of an early vacation, many of us don’t see it that way. If anything, we’d rather go back to the school we hate to wake up for instead of waking up for what seems like no reason at all.
There are many people being deeply affected by all the madness in the world right now, and since almost every part of life is now closed off, a lot of us don’t know where to turn for help anymore.
Depression and anxiety are two very common conditions in the United States, but even though they’re talked about a lot, not very often are they understood.
Coming from someone who has to deal with depression and anxiety on a daily basis, I know how common it is around our school. I know how many people there are who are struggling just like me, living only in hopes that one day they’ll finally find a reason to be happy.
Depression and anxiety were never easy for us to deal with before everything in the world happened, but now that the world seems like it’s shut down, it’s becoming harder for us to find those reasons.
Now, we’re stuck alone with our thoughts, and the voices in our heads are getting more power to control us. They tell us that everything we do is wrong, that we ruin every good thing in our lives, and when we do experience something good in our lives, they tell us that we’re not allowed to enjoy it. They tell us that we’re not good enough for anyone, that we’re worthless human beings, and that we don’t deserve to ever find the happiness we beg to God for every single night.
Our thoughts become so powerful that many nights, we find ourselves staring at the wall for hours, wondering if our lives are even worth living anymore. The pain becomes so deep that our minds start putting faith into a world we know nothing about, and suddenly, we don’t care about life anymore. All our sadness turns into a void of nothingness, and we fall into this void and become numb to life. Life loses its meaning, and the numbness to human emotions keeps us from finding ways to escape this void because we stop caring enough to try.
When depression is at its peak, life becomes a game of wondering whether or not you should finally give death a chance. Sadly, many people lose the battle of depression when they finally make the decision.
Now that quarantine is in full throttle, many of us are in danger of these thoughts, and almost all of our outlets are cut off. If you’re like me, therapy is no longer an option because you don’t have a private space to talk to your therapist, and/or phone calls give you enough anxiety that you can’t get the strength to do it anymore.
These outlets are what keep us alive, so we need to make sure to give everyone as many outlets as possible.
Especially during this time, check up on your friends, tell them how great they are, and don’t ever let them think they don’t have anyone that cares.
With everyone spread apart, ironically enough this is a crucial time for everyone to come together and support one another. Nobody is having this easy, and we all need to be reassured every once in a while that things will be okay.
Be supportive of the loved ones in your lives during this time, and just as importantly, make sure to be supportive of yourself. To everyone that’s struggling right now, you can make it through, and even though it seems like the hardest thing in the world to believe, you won’t be numb forever.
