Covid 19 Affecting Mental Health

Have you noticed an uptick in the number of adds on TV for mental health services?  I think everyone is experiencing some sort of anxiety, stress or fear.  Apps like Calm to calm you down have been around for awhile, but people are using them more these days.  My health care provider now has a phone service for customers to talk to a psychologist about their fears.  Many drugs on TV are offering relief for anxiety. 

I am also having difficulty sleeping.  I don't think I'm anxious or stressed, but obviously I am.  It's just an unimaginable feeling that things will never be the same again.  One of my friends keeps asking me, "When will this be over?"  The answer is, it will not be over until there is a vaccine that can prevent it.  That may be years away.  Like the flu, the vaccine they are working on now may prevent us from getting a bad case, just as current flu shots do not necessarily prevent the flu, but just keep you from getting a life threatening flu.  The answer is, we just don't know how long we will be so confined. 

From what I understand, within a few weeks, restrictions will start to be lifted.  You will be able to play tennis and golf (and pickleball), you will be able to walk the beach, surf and boogie board, and hike.  You will probably soon be able to dine in outdoor restaurants with some social distancing.  You will not be going to concerts or dance clubs any time soon.  You will be able to fly, but seating will be changed, possibly leaving the middle seat empty.  Lufthansa sent out a memo today requiring ALL crew and passengers to wear face coverings while flying through August 15.  I'm sure many other airlines are doing something similar.

Bottom line, we just don't know how long this will last, and we have to just go with the flow.  Enjoy the simple things, and sometime soon we will be back to doing some of what we used to enjoy.  It's kind of how things changed after 9-11.  We had to get used to new security, new restrictions at airports and large gatherings, etc.  Some things were never the same after 9-11, it will be the same for Covid 19.  I've always called life a roller coaster ride.  We are at the bottom of the hill now, and hopefully will soon be going up.