COVID-19 and Mental Health

[Althea Hamby]

Coronavirus made a lot of impact on our lives globally. It has caused depression and unnecessary anxiety. There are also many claims here and there that it's hard to say which is true.

How are you affected by it? How did you manage the mental effect of this pandemic?

[Panshot]

Coronavirus made a lot of impact on our lives globally. It has caused depression and unnecessary anxiety. There are also many claims here and there that it's hard to say which is true.

How are you affected by it? How did you manage the mental effect of this pandemic?

All three of me are doing just fine.

[Kay_B]

At first it was very depressing. Then I started looking for solutions to the problem. Found new hobbies. Sitting dumb all day near a TV or computer is not my option. I got busy with chores. It turned out to be very interesting. Now I am learning to make frames from baguettes. The wife paints pictures by numbers and collects diamond mosaics. It is very beautiful and in an adequate frame will be both a good gift and just a decoration of the house.

[DarkShadow]

Coronavirus made a lot of impact on our lives globally. It has caused depression and unnecessary anxiety.

Well, unnecessary anxiety definitely, especially how the pandemic seemingly ripped the facade off this nation, and exposed a lot. You have individuals who refuse to wear masks, because it goes against their 'freedoms,' but yet will take their shoes off at the airport for the rest of their life when they travel or will fasten their seat belt when they get in their care, without thinking about their freedoms in those instances. I get anxious at people who talk about the virus in a 'past' tense, as if it will not continue affecting us through out the next year. Those are the same who think that vaccines have rolled out, the pandemic is over. I get anxious at the way the younger generation (in some parts of the country) couldn't fathom social distancing, and were the first people to suffer from "Covid fatigue," and continued packing indoor venues. I get anxious at the way politicians managed to politicize the pandemic and I get anxious on how some of the populous refused to believe the doctors and immunologists and infectious disease specialists, because agreeing with their analysis would somehow get them labeled a 'liberal.' I get anxious on how our federal government refused to lift a finger, and have a game plan in December of 2019 when we first were getting information regarding the virus. I get anxious on how there are some who still think the virus is a hoax. I get anxious that local governments were left with fending for themselves, and how many dropped the ball by over reaching restrictions that unduly affected local economies and shuttered mom and pop businesses all over. i get anxious that during the pandemic, the rich got richer while the working class were thrown a measly $1200. I get anxious watching other countries handle the pandemic a lot better than we are.

How are you affected by it?

Didn't effect me much, mostly because I am a introvert and prefer smaller crowds. I'm getting to work from home, which is good and I hope that telecommuting becomes the norm for certain sectors, especially those who can perform that majority of their duties from home. The stress of a 3 hour daily commute is removed, the stress of having helicoptering management buzzing over my cubicle removed. Worker productivity has increased, and quality of life has increased. Remember how smogless LA was there for a few? All it took was getting commuters off the roads, imagine that.

It's affected me because I've found who my true friends were, the ones who continually reached out during the pandemic to make sure everything was on the up and up, and I also realized that other certain individuals were "friends" just due to proximity and convenience, not because of a real friendship. I also learned that there are some individuals who desperately need the daily validation of other people in order not to be depressed, and I've learned there are a lot of individuals who have never been comfortable with themselves, and by themselves, and who suffered greatly having to spend time with themselves. I've realized that when a pandemic hits, you truly realize who the essential workers are. So, there's been a lot of elucidation that has occurred in the last few months, and in the months to come and it's definitely helped me grow as a person.

How did you manage the mental effect of this pandemic?

Lots of marijuana.

(I kid)

Well, I did a lot of fishing this year, and now I realize that when my fishing closet is disorganized, my mental health is very organized. With my local forests burned down, I found myself dusting off the bass gear, and dusting off all these Japanese lures that I spent my entire life collecting and never using. Getting out on the water was mental therapy.

It did help that I'm very 'outdoor' oriented and staying safe these past few months has been a priority, obviously, since I do actually understand that just because I'm not in a high risk category of fatality due to the virus, I don't wanna be a silent spreader of the virus, simply because I feel the need to hang out with others. So, it was easy to grab the backpacking tent and some food, and spend days out in the woods, catching trout till the sun came down, and spending some quality time around the fire with a book and my thoughts.

2020 has definitely been surreal, but really hasn't had any mental effect, except the general anxiety that comes when an entire nation is going through a state of revelation and reckoning and you see peoples' true colors shining through.

[Althea Hamby]

Hi all. Thanks for all your responses!

All three of me are doing just fine.

I'm glad to hear that the three of you are doing fine.

At first it was very depressing. Then I started looking for solutions to the problem. Found new hobbies. Sitting dumb all day near a TV or computer is not my option. I got busy with chores. It turned out to be very interesting. Now I am learning to make frames from baguettes. The wife paints pictures by numbers and collects diamond mosaics. It is very beautiful and in an adequate frame will be both a good gift and just a decoration of the house.

That's great. Among the good things this pandemic has brought us is to practice self-love and discovery. It seems like it has given us a break, a time to explore. We now love things that we didn't know we would.

Well, unnecessary anxiety definitely, especially how the pandemic seemingly ripped the facade off this nation, and exposed a lot. You have individuals who refuse to wear masks, because it goes against their 'freedoms,' but yet will take their shoes off at the airport for the rest of their life when they travel or will fasten their seat belt when they get in their care, without thinking about their freedoms in those instances. I get anxious at people who talk about the virus in a 'past' tense, as if it will not continue affecting us through out the next year. Those are the same who think that vaccines have rolled out, the pandemic is over. I get anxious at the way the younger generation (in some parts of the country) couldn't fathom social distancing, and were the first people to suffer from "Covid fatigue," and continued packing indoor venues. I get anxious at the way politicians managed to politicize the pandemic and I get anxious on how some of the populous refused to believe the doctors and immunologists and infectious disease specialists, because agreeing with their analysis would somehow get them labeled a 'liberal.' I get anxious on how our federal government refused to lift a finger, and have a game plan in December of 2019 when we first were getting information regarding the virus. I get anxious on how there are some who still think the virus is a hoax. I get anxious that local governments were left with fending for themselves, and how many dropped the ball by over reaching restrictions that unduly affected local economies and shuttered mom and pop businesses all over. i get anxious that during the pandemic, the rich got richer while the working class were thrown a measly $1200. I get anxious watching other countries handle the pandemic a lot better than we are.



Didn't effect me much, mostly because I am a introvert and prefer smaller crowds. I'm getting to work from home, which is good and I hope that telecommuting becomes the norm for certain sectors, especially those who can perform that majority of their duties from home. The stress of a 3 hour daily commute is removed, the stress of having helicoptering management buzzing over my cubicle removed. Worker productivity has increased, and quality of life has increased. Remember how smogless LA was there for a few? All it took was getting commuters off the roads, imagine that.

It's affected me because I've found who my true friends were, the ones who continually reached out during the pandemic to make sure everything was on the up and up, and I also realized that other certain individuals were "friends" just due to proximity and convenience, not because of a real friendship. I also learned that there are some individuals who desperately need the daily validation of other people in order not to be depressed, and I've learned there are a lot of individuals who have never been comfortable with themselves, and by themselves, and who suffered greatly having to spend time with themselves. I've realized that when a pandemic hits, you truly realize who the essential workers are. So, there's been a lot of elucidation that has occurred in the last few months, and in the months to come and it's definitely helped me grow as a person.



Lots of marijuana.

(I kid)

Well, I did a lot of fishing this year, and now I realize that when my fishing closet is disorganized, my mental health is very organized. With my local forests burned down, I found myself dusting off the bass gear, and dusting off all these Japanese lures that I spent my entire life collecting and never using. Getting out on the water was mental therapy.

It did help that I'm very 'outdoor' oriented and staying safe these past few months has been a priority, obviously, since I do actually understand that just because I'm not in a high risk category of fatality due to the virus, I don't wanna be a silent spreader of the virus, simply because I feel the need to hang out with others. So, it was easy to grab the backpacking tent and some food, and spend days out in the woods, catching trout till the sun came down, and spending some quality time around the fire with a book and my thoughts.

2020 has definitely been surreal, but really hasn't had any mental effect, except the general anxiety that comes when an entire nation is going through a state of revelation and reckoning and you see peoples' true colors shining through.

The mainstream media seems to be manipulating us into believing what they want us to believe. It's crazy! As of now, I couldn't see how we'll go from here, as a nation, but we could only hope for the better.

[Natural Lefty]

Anything that causes people stress and anxiety, makes it more likely for people to have mental health problems. The pandemic and all its effects on our lives is definitely a major stressor, with its own particular effects on people. I asked my class that I had to teach online about its effects on their lives, and the responses were similar to what I see here. A lot of people are using the opportunity to relate more closely to their families or develop their hobbies, which is good, but mostly the effects are stressful, ranging from anxiety to actually losing loved ones, to loss of income.

I have fished less this year, and I really would have liked to fish more, but Lake Perris (my local lake) was closed in March and stayed closed for quite some time, and my wife didn't want to go anywhere due to the virus. We never went on vacation this year as a consequence. There were no trout catching trips for me this year. We didn't even go farther than half an hour or so from home very often. That in itself was a stressor, plus having to change the way that I teach (still going through that), and loss of income due to fewer classes.

[Kay_B]

That's great. Among the good things this pandemic has brought us is to practice self-love and discovery. It seems like it has given us a break, a time to explore. We now love things that we didn't know we would.

This is for sure, only, unfortunately, not everyone realized that there are things that are much more valuable than those they are chasing and cannot catch up with. One pandemic will not fix all people, and some will not make them think at all.