“Destination Healing: Getting Better Post COVID Pandemic”
The pandemic is over...why are you still so sad?
Prior to COVID we thought we knew what to expect day to day. Life was life with the ups and downs that have always occurred, but overall you were likely doing okay. Then COVID hit and we soldiered through it. Many lost friends and family members, some lost a multitude of people to this devastating pandemic and know that they are now recovering from grief and loss.
Others, especially those who may not have directly lost anyone, may feel that they should not be this effected still. Yet mental health challenges have been rising in the Black and Brown community since this pandemics impact.
So let’s talk about why you might still feel bad:
- COVID 19 is considered a natural disaster so great that it is among humanity’s leading mass traumas within the last 100 years.
- The illness is and was feared, along with fear of what the impacts of the illness, so fear of death, fear of losing loved ones, actual and feared loss of livelihood, entire industries have been closed and are only now re-opening.
- Our local, national, and global social and economic systems have been disrupted along with our day to day life.
- As many are well aware, Black and Brown communities have been impacted the most. Not only with more severe impact and death rates of the illness, more loss of work due to us having higher rates of employment in fields that require face to face contact with the public, but all of this combined causes a greater risk to and impact to mental health.
That mental health impact includes trauma, psychological distress, mental illness and the worsening of any prior mental health issues. Unfortunately the suicide rate has increased and there is now a higher risk of suicide within Black and Brown communities.
So what can you do about it?
- Recognize that you have just been through a devastating and life changing time. Many people I have spoken to about this pandemic and it’s impact say things like, it just didn’t effect me, or I didn’t lose anyone so it hasn’t effected my life. This major event is one that effects everyone’s life. Just hearing about refrigerated trucks holding the bodies of the deceased and knowing that there is so much global suffering can be a start to allowing yourself to feel and recognize how traumatic and sad a time this has been to live through.
- Speak with friends and family about what happened. Discuss the experience with others and allow yourself to both hear and express feelings about it.
- Take good care of yourself. Are you getting adequate sleep, eating balanced meals, eating and sleeping on a healthy schedule, taking vitamins and mineral supplements, and time for emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, friendship, time with nature, spiritual or religious observance (if that is something you believe in)?
- Give yourself time to get back to “normal”. It can easily take an entire year or more to recover from this sort of trauma. Give yourself time, go step wise and try to focus on doing things gradually.
- Consider getting a therapist to speak with. We know that it can be hard to open up to a stranger and there is so much stigma within Black and Brown communities about accessing mental health. But it can be the key to growth and healing. Find a therapist you can identify with and stick with them.
- Check out my websites https://www.therapistsforblackgirls.com/ and https://www.therapistsforblackmales.com/ as well as my friend and colleague Racquel Mallet Jones, LCSW-R group practice https://transforminglivesonline.org/ or national listing sites like https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/ or https://openpathcollective.org/ for the help you need.