Mental Health Awareness: Coping in the Second Year of Pandemic

Weekend strolling, walks along the shore, and casual hang-outs with your
friends- I’m sure everyone misses outdoor activities such as these. This was the
“normal” majority of us got used to, but unfortunately, things have changed. Everything
we consider normal in the present days are unusual and whether we like it or not, we
have no choice but to abide by the existing rules that keep us safe from the fast-
spreading virus we are all afraid of- Covid-19.

Depression, anxiety, bereavement, and isolation- most of us, if not all, have
experienced at least one of these heartbreaking occurrences. At the start of the
pandemic, we all let out a sigh of relief, knowing we will finally take a break from all the
hassle and stress our every-day work give us. Who would have thought the so-called
break we got from the pandemic could cause so many mental and even physical
problems to countless people. The isolation drained the sanity out of all of us as we
continue to suffer being indoors too often while thinking about all the problems we did
and could get from the past and future lockdowns.

Just as we thought things are getting better, the number of cases rises once
more as the people of our country refuse to cooperate. The opposition of the citizens
causes problems we all thought we finally got rid of, and this became the new reason
why the population got enraged once again.

More and more problems just keep on coming as time flies by, but you don’t
always have to remain negative about everything that’s happening in the current days. It
is undoubtedly true that the last few years have been one of the worst ones so far for
humankind, but refusing to see the bright side is what makes everything seem worse
than it actually is.

“You are too strong to be worrying about something as simple as this,” was what
my funny and wise uncle used to say to me when I felt like I was at my worst.
 At the time that he said that to me, I was around 13 or 14 years old so it didn’t
really mean much to me. I didn’t even know what made him say that to me. Recently, I
recalled that moment and for a few good hours, I thought about it. Until, finally, I knew
what it meant.

You have always had the ability to get rid of your problems that easily. Worrying
about it just makes everything worse and I just proved that to be true not too long ago. It
has always been better for everyone to not even consider the problems as problems. I
learned that if you just focus on the bad side of things, it will never help you solve that
problem. Instead of having problems about undone schoolwork, make yourself think that
it’s an easy task that you’ll finish in a breeze. Unhealthy sleep schedule? Starting is
always the first step. Having problems communicating with people? Start being more
social. Can’t go outside? Do fun indoor activities.

Everything has a solution, and only when you refuse to find that solution will it
become a problem. Life, even in the hardest times, can turn out to be trouble-free,
because everything is within your control. You got this.