The tricky thing about staying on top of your mental health in a pandemic, and the aftershocks of one, is that it’s perfectly normal to find yourself in emotional states you’ve never been in before.
“Covid-19 and the lockdowns that come with that have taken away a lot of the usual ways we deal with stress,” says Dr Vine. “And it’s tough when you can’t have those normal life rituals.” She says that one of the most important things we can do right now for ourselves is to remember that many of us are having normal reactions to abnormal times.
“We are putting pressure on our families and ourselves, so when negative emotions come up, that does not mean you are losing the plot,” says Dr Vine. Indeed, a recent study by the Institute of Mental Health revealed that about 13 per cent of over 1,000 participants have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during the pandemic. However, 81.8 percent indicated that they are willing to seek professional help for mental health concerns related to Covid-19.
Here, Dr. Vine walks us through how we can better understand our mental health needs, and not miss the signs that we – or those close to us – might need more support.