Coronavirus Got You Down? You Are Not Alone!
As a mental health practitioner, I support people with various mental health conditions daily. My initial approach is to help clients first understand and recognize the elements and symptoms of mental health decline if they do not already. Many clients share that they have been struggling for a long time but were not aware of the elements of their conditions; and shame or embarrassment have kept them from seeking help or speaking out about their mental health challenges.
As the coronavirus pandemic began and the social isolation and distancing became mandatory, it made me think of so many who may be affected by mental health decline and are not even aware of its symptoms and effects on them.
I want to highlight some common thoughts or feelings that I encourage you to pay close attention to, and hopefully find the necessary help and support that you need during these challenging times. It is also important to understand that although many of these feelings and reactions are normal during a traumatizing pandemic, they can also lead to a deeper state of mental health decline.
Here is a list of some of the thoughts and feelings that I would like to bring to your attention:
1- Hopelessness
Giving into and repeating all the fear, thoughts, and negativity during this time can lead to a sense of hopelessness. This can be a sign of depression or a precursor to depression.
2- Panic & Anxiety
Panic is a sudden uncontrollable fear of something. If we spend too much time in panic and anxiety, this can have dramatic effects on our overall mental health and can lead to body pain and even panic attacks. This is something to pay attention to and I urge you to find ways to help decrease or distract you from panic, anxiety and worry.
3- Worry
Worry is a common trait of ours. However, as I described above, when we consistently feel worried it can turn into catastrophizing thoughts and have an overall impact on our emotional and physical wellbeing. Catasprophizing is ruminating on a negative thought and convincing yourself things are worse than they really are.
4- Feeling Overwhelmed
Many families, individuals, businesses and even our amazing heroic front line workers are more likely feeling overwhelmed right now. Feeling overwhelmed is not to be taken lightly or to be “shrugged off”. This is a common symptom of anxiety and an indicator that someone is doing “too much of something”. Feeling overwhelmed can also trigger panic and/or depression.
5- Lack of Interest/Desire
People who experience a lack of interest or desire in things that usually give them pleasure is often a core symptom of depression.
6- Engaging in Excessive Behaviors
This is a tricky one as many right now are binge watching Netflix and are bored and engaging in activities more than they usually would, including drinking alcohol. It is necessary to pay attention to this as this could lead to further excessive behaviors, and we need to check in on our mental health and strive for balance.
8- Case of the F*** Its!
Most of us know at our core that it is important to stay healthy, eat well, have balance in our lives and so on. But when someone feels overwhelmed, worried, has no interest and on top of that experiencing being alone in isolation, it is easy to get the case of the “F*** it’s”, which is a type of “I don’t care anymore” perspective. This can also lead to giving up on things that are important to your overall mental health like exercising, meditation, reaching out, and much more.
I want to encourage you in the midst of these chaotic times and this pandemic that we all experience some of these elements above; but I want to bring awareness to them and encourage you that “you are not alone” and if you recognize any of these thoughts and feelings in excess, I encourage you to reach out and seek help.
I feel very strongly about the use of music during these times. Being a music therapist, I see the many benefits of music to help validate as well as distract from many of our emotions and life situations that we may experience. I have turned to music many times myself to help release my emotions and worries during this time.
At the beginning of the pandemic I could not get the song “You Will Be Found” from the popular musical Dear Evan Hansen out of my head. I sat at the piano, recorded it, and felt especially drawn to the line that repeats “you are not alone”. I wanted to share this message with the world during this time and invited my music therapy colleagues from all over the world to join me in song. I have found so much comfort during these difficult times collaborating with 116 other music therapists across the world on this project and want to spread the message to the world that “you are not alone”.
As I have outlined above, I want to bring awareness to many of the thoughts and feelings that may arise during traumatic times and to educate others who may not know or understand its impact or effects. Please don’t be afraid to talk to others about what you are experiencing, seek help and know that “you are not alone”.
Thank you for taking the time to view this video and we encourage you to share this musical message with many others who may need to hear “You are Not Alone”!
Mewsic Moves is also offering telemusictherapy sessions during this time for those that need additional mental health support in dealing with anxiety and depression or also those that want to continue individual music therapy sessions but are practicing social distancing.
For more information please reach out to us:
email: john@mewsicmoves.com
phone: (818) 877-6797
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Photos by Claudia Wolff on Unsplash