I just wanted to write a post about mental health supports during the pandemic. I think every single person I have spoken to this week was sinking in one way or another. A lot of people go through seasonal affective disorder during these months, where their mood dips seasonally because of winter, but this year we have added challenges of the pandemic restrictions. There are many layers to the complexity of how the pandemic is affecting people’s mental health in an adverse way, because it’s not just the mask wearing, fear of covid, working frontlines and seeing people dying, financial challenges, changes in schooling, etc. but it’s also restricting our coping mechanisms, and taking away joyous opportunities for connection, taking away the normal process of grief, re-triggering trauma, etc.
The last thing a friend or anyone else would ever want is for someone to never have asked for help and to struggle alone. We are here for each other through the ups and downs, and you aren’t alone if you are struggling with your mental health whether it is in the context of covid or not. I would encourage you to reach out to the above resources, and in a crisis situation there is always the emergency department or 911. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, rather I it is a sign that we are doing the right thing when we make sure that we are taking care of ourselves. I think it’s important for us to acknowledge that we could all probably use a counsellor in our lives, whether it is for a crisis situation like someone died, or the ongoing stresses of daily life, tensions in a relationship, or past issues. It can take time to find a good match but the benefit of having someone who can support us in developing skills, and finding and doing our own inner work is so huge.
Self-work is actually the hardest layer of work to do- the awareness of peeling away the layers protecting what’s underneath. It’s the kind that no one rewards, but teaches us what we are made of. It is being comfortable in the silence and feeling fully everything you are going through, to stop running and burying yourself in staying busy. I know that has been my pattern for a long time, to bury myself in work and accomplishments and slowing down with the pandemic has now taught me that there is a lot more going on under that than I realized. Sometimes that helps, and is ok to use that distraction and to keep going because we need to in order to survive, and sometimes we have to slow down and just stop to deal with what's under it. It's ultimately just a coping mechanism used to protect the brain. As we dread on with this pandemic, I am hoping you all find ways to keep your chardi kala spirit like the protesting farmers have, that you find ways to keep that strength alive and keep up the fight. If you are feeling like your light has dimmed and you are tired, know that it isn’t an inherent mistake of yours, you aren’t alone, and there is help. Here's a list of supports:
For youth: https://foundrybc.ca
Worldwide South Asian counsellors (some free some pay): https://southasiantherapists.org
Punjabi Community Health Services (Canada): https://pchs4u.com
CMHA: https://cmha.ca/news/covid-19-and-mental-health
Crisis and other resources: https://mindyourmind.ca/help/where-call
There are also some great mental health apps. I haven't decided which ones I like yet but I'll post when I have checked them out. You can also check out guided meditations, simran, or sleep music on youtube.
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