COVID-19 and Mental Health

Source: forbes.com

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s mental health in our community in Licking County? Back in March, Governor Mike Dewine said that schools would be closed. The closure of schools indicated that there would be no sports, no music performances, no extracurricular activities, etc. This closure made several people very upset because they did not get to participate in the activities that they had once loved. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has affected people’s mental health in terrible ways. The coronavirus has affected our mental health in terrible ways such as being depressed about everything that has been canceled or being anxious about the unknown. Also, we were quarantined for two months. Two whole months of shutting down and being quarantined is a long time!

At the end of May/beginning of June, areas that were closed for the two months prior started to open back up. However, we still had to wear masks and stay six feet apart in public places such as churches, restaurants, and parks. The fact that these places were beginning to open back up again is helping out with the way the coronavirus has affected people’s mental health. These places opening back up have helped out with people’s mental health because these places that the community once loved were closed. Even with the restrictions, everyone has been slowly getting to go to the whereabouts that they once loved!

Many coping strategies have helped with the mental health of the community’s mental health as a whole throughout the coronavirus pandemic. An article by Very Well Mind, which is about healthy coping skills for uncomfortable situations, states, “There are two main types of coping skills: problem-based coping and emotion-based coping.” What is the difference between problem-based coping and emotion-based coping? Well, problem-based coping is needing to change the situation. For example, fixing an unhealthy relationship that one person would have with another person. Emotion-based coping would be helpful in a circumstance that concerns a person’s feelings. The loss of a loved one is an excellent example of emotion-based coping. The Covid-19 Pandemic is an example of both problem based coping and emotion-based coping because people lose their loved ones, but they also are going through a difficult time in their lives.

Some coping strategies that would regard problem-based coping would be the following: Ask for support from a friend or a health professional, creating a to-do list, engaging in problem-solving, establishing healthy boundaries, working on managing time better. Some coping strategies that would regard emotion-based coping are coloring, cooking, reading, writing, gardening, giving yourself a pep-talk, drinking tea, listening to music, singing, practicing music, and many more.

I interviewed a sophomore about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their mental health. I also asked her coping strategies that they had done throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic. I received a thought-out response from her. The person I interviewed was sophomore Callie Smith. Callie stated that "Before I was energetic.” She said that “my energy was taken away from me, and I was depressed." When I asked her how she coped, she said "listening to music, talking with my mom because she was going through what I was going through."

All in all, this pandemic has drastically affected everyone's mental health. However, multiple coping strategies would help people’s mental health throughout this pandemic. Hopefully, these coping strategies will help individuals in the local community.