Page 39 - Issue-30-En

ELITE Vol.1, Issue 30, April 2021 Happy

Ramadan

A year after coronavirus: How was our

mental health affected?

Maram Mofreh, Level two, economics

Another March has come and gone, akin to every other Constant exposure to intense stress is more than enough to
March of every other year. But every March does not pass leave us vulnerable to experiencing symptoms of mental
like every other March, with un-eventuality and quiet illnesses such as depression, anxiety and even PTSD (Post
normality. It is without a question that last year's March Traumatic Stress Disorder). Symptoms such as irritability,
will remain engraved in the minds of all the generations appetite changes, loss of interests, hopelessness, fatigue,
that witnessed it, and persistently so. March 2020, serves as restlessness, having difficulty concentrating as well as sleep
the legitimate begging of our goodbye to all of the problems have definitely become more common among both
normality that we know and recognize. Nothing was ever the youth and the adults in the past year. Furthermore, isolation
the same after March 2020. March 2020, marks the official and lack of concrete social interactions caused loss in the
declaration of the coronavirus disease as a global emotional and physical support that people can receive from
pandemic, which was promptly followed by mass their friends and families.
lockdowns in most countries, firmly halting the paths of
In fact, several research institutes in several countries report
our normal lives as well as forcing us to replace our that their survey data shows a surge in physiological distress
routines with new ones. This March marks a year since the since the start of the lockdown, specifically among younger
beginning of the pandemic, and after a year, it is foolish to people. Scientists are even fearing that the effects on mental
expect that life can return to the way it was before. It is health will continue for years on after the pandemic.
abundantly clear that we have to adapt to the new version It is unquestionable that the circumstances that we live in
of normal that is created by the new circumstances. nowadays are dire and unprecedented to most of us. We should
Nevertheless, the pandemic along with the lockdown accept that it will not end anytime soon. There is nothing more
affected more than just our routines, it has deep rooted important than taking care of your health, both physically and
effects on our mental health as well.
mentally. Finding healthy ways to cope with mental stress is
crucial, you should always remember to take a pause to breathe
It is undeniable that the recent life changing events of the past fresh air into your lungs and to be kind to yourself as well as
year resulted in immense amounts of stress, either as a
consequence from the alterations in their economic conditions others.
or out of fear of them or their families getting infected with the
virus or out of fear of the side effects of getting the virus, or
another forth reason. You can never run out of reasons to be
stressed out in a global pandemic. The effortless access to
news articles, statistics and researches related to the pandemic
sufficed to add even more stress. I remember endlessly long
days when all I could think about was the daily statistical data
of the coronavirus cases and deaths in each country, watching
the arrows on the news stations rising further more each day
signifying the unstoppable rise in cases as well as deaths,
suffocating with the thickness of both worry and helplessness.
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