The coronavirus is obviously affecting many of us at the moment. People are losing jobs, they’re struggling to pay rent or to buy the food they need for their families. It’s a horrible situation for us all to be in but the main thing is that we’re all in the same boat together. It’s not like those occassions where you feel like you’re going through something and you have others around you to support you. This is something that no one really has an answer to and we’re all trying to weather this storm until it passes. For the past few days, I’ve really gone through it mentally and although I’m one of the fortunate ones to have my health, friends and family, it’s still hard to lose everything that keeps you feeling comfortable.
And like the many times I’ve spoken about mental health on my blog and social media channels, I always want to get across the message that’s it’s ok to feel this way and in this case, it’s ok to feel overwhelmed by what we’re going through right now. It’s weird and surreal. It’s something that many of the younger generations may have never experienced before and it can be terrifying. The most worrying of it all is that there’s no definitive end at the moment in terms of when it’s going to end and when we can get back to normality.
It’s those small comforts that we take for granted and that have been taken from us by coronavirus. I miss having the freedom to see family and friends. I want to go to the gym. Like that’s not normal for me to actually want to but it’s the fact that I can’t go which is adding to this overwhelming feeling that I have and that many people have. The reason for posting this though is that I went for a walk with Sam today and something changed. Just getting outside from being locked away in the house for over a week was a relief. I should have done this sooner and I said to Sam that I wanted us to do this every day so that we can have a bit of fresh air and normality.
Remember though that this is something that will pass. I’ve needed that pep talk from my friends, family and Sam over the last day or two because I lost sight it all. I felt like I was spiralling into this deep pool of negativity and it’s a reminder for me that no matter what is going on up in my mind, I need to communicate it with those I trust. And that’s the main point to this blog post. Talk to people. Use this time in insolation to phone your loved ones. Facetime your friends and catch up with them over a glass of wine or two and have a virtual party. It’s not the same of course as being in person but it definitely helps.
Don’t allow this coronavirus to kill our happiness because it’s already taking people’s lives and that’s bad enough. Keep fighting and stay home unless it’s absolutely necesssary for you to go out. We’re fighting an invisible killer and it’s no longer about you and me, but everyone out there who is vulnerable.
You’ve got this!
