The Mental States: How You Dealing With It All? 😩

Hysterical laughter was heard from the room…

A woman just finished watching the new Joker movie and simply couldn’t help but scream in hysterical laughter, finding it ironic that the character was somewhat relatable. Day 1 of lockdown was considered a blessing in disguise, her shitty job with shitty pay and shittier hours was closed down, it was not an essential service. She got up from the couch and picked up the remote. She switched the screen to Netflix and let a show run in the background as she headed for the bathroom. 

Washing her hands and she couldn’t bare looking in the mirror, it was unavoidable, so she saw glimpses of herself looking dishevelled and ten years older than what she really was. Her natural locks in a protective style from weeks ago, she couldn’t help but feel more depressed than ever.

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For herself and nobody else. She had no one but herself and her little apartment. Cutting herself off further from the outside world, no longer the social bird of the streets. She told herself she belonged there and her tiny flat in central Johannesburg was just a place of rest and conquests. I know it is hard to empathise with someone that only lives for the moment but isn’t that the lifestyle we used to live back then. From Maboneng to Soweto to the lavish streets of Sandton. The city lights from Wednesday to Sunday was a vibe. She danced in circles thinking about the bittersweet taste of alcohol on her tongue and the heady fumes that is hashish, that was either garnished in a hookah pipe or rolled up in rizla. Since the whole city is under a watchful eye of the law. She could only go out for essentials. Even her plug cut off all communications. She was truly alone in the world. Even finding entertainment online was not as appealing as to when she was working.

She was feeling fear again, her body sweating. Chills going through her body right to the bone, her head pounding while her mouth felt like there was cotton balls in it. She felt numb with a crippling emotion to cry, holding her chest tight. She felt like puking the water she just gulped down. She was confused how can she feel all of this while thinking about her lifestyle. She dropped to the floor like ton of bricks and only woke up a few hours later. She felt light headed and couldn’t help but feel pathetic. 

Psychological Effects of Quarantine

Previous studies involving mandatory quarantine have shown that there are a variety of things children and adults experience. Here is a list of the most common:

• Aches and pains
• Anger and confusion
• Boredom
• Cardiovascular stress
• Changes in eating habits
• Compromised immune functioning
• Contagiousness anxiety
• Counterphobic reactions
• Depressive symptoms
• Difficulty concentrating
• Emotional exhaustion 
• Fear and apprehension
• Financial worries
• Frustration
• Hoarding
• Hopelessness or Helplessness
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Irritability
• Numbness
• Physical exhaustion
• Post-traumatic stress symptoms
• Sadness and despair
• Stigma concerns

Are you feeling any of these? Plan your days, avoid media when you can because fake news and actual news can depress the crap out of you. Mix it up do something you haven’t done before.

Let’s consider the fact that socializing is now strictly done through our technological devices. Now more then ever we need them. Negative stigma around them are now our saving grace. We are now reaching out to others via text, video, phone and social media to virtually talk out our fears and anxieties. At the same time, we are further mitigating the drag that is physical isolation. Some are lucky and have some people around them, thus making the lockdown bearable. We take for granted the minor and major interactions that we used to have with our friends and strangers. We were always looking for something new and something fresh that was our routine. 

For me self-isolation can be the result of depression.  You’re doing the right thing by practicing self-isolation. But whether you’re at home with family, roommates, a partner, or by yourself, being in the house day after day can take a toll on your well-being. Everyday you see people trying to Tik-Toks or go about their daily lives by being at home. You might feel tired because your sleeping schedule is messed up or you can’t sleep thinking about the future and always asking that fundamental question…’WHAT NOW?’

You might feel guilty for not getting things done or being as proactive as others (this feeling usually stems from social media, now that we are constantly on it), you might lose focus and get angry about it but let those emotions out. Find something you used to love doing and vent or even find something new for example if you don’t like reading a book rather go for an app that has short stories that can be easily followed, such as Wattpad, an immersive app that allows you to read and create content it has helped  in helping me cope with self-isolation. And you can have it on any phone anytime. Personally, I do not know how to console or even find a way to help others to help themselves but every day I try. That’s all it takes one day or even one hour at the time to cope with what is happening out there. There are many other apps and sites to try such as Duolingo where you can distract yourself and learn a new language.

Depression tends to present differently in different age groups:

• Children more commonly present with pain, anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability and diminished pleasure in play
• Adolescents more commonly present with irritability, outbursts of anger, loss of energy and sleep difficulties
• Elderly individuals more commonly present with physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms such as problems with concentration and memory, social isolation and poor self-care

Depressive disorders are more likely to occur in people who:

• Are socially isolated
• Have no close interpersonal relationships
• Have uncertain employment
• Are divorced or separated
• Have experienced trauma or loss
• Are abusing substances, especially alcohol

_PasopNegra