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I'm curious how people are feeling about their mental health. I searched for some studies regarding mental health, but honestly I don't think enough time has passed for a true in-depth analysis. I am not nearly as secluded as many on this board. I've tried to keep our lives as "normal" as possible given the restrictions, but I still feel on edge and stressed out every day. I am definitely going to talk with my doctor about it...I'm worried I'm becoming depressed. I'm just curious if others are feeling very overwhelmed as we head into winter? I almost booked a vacation to a warm destination because I'm desperate to give my mental state a much-needed boost!
To me, this period reminds me a lot of when I was going through cancer. The emotions are so similar: the anxiety, the fear, the isolation. I was in really bad shape in March and April - not sleeping, not eating, literally staring at a wall when not working because I couldn't even focus on a sitcom - but once I was able to get outside more, see my boyfriend (he was locked down in NY from March through mid-May), and have socially distanced picnics with friends, I felt a bit better. But with cold weather coming limiting my ability to exercise (my lungs struggle with the cold), limited daylight hours, and looking like a long time until the availability of a vaccine, I'm struggling to find energy to care to do anything.
I had my annual physical yesterday through Zoom and had to fill out an emotional questionnaire. It was pretty grim, and my physician recommended antidepressants for second time in my life. She said that at least half of her patients are expressing significantly heightened anxiety and depression, many for the first time. The number of people she prescribes antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for now is three or four times the same time last year, most of us expecting a short term course to get out of the crisis.
One of the things I've become very aware of is how much of my social lift I get from work. I'm incredibly introverted and generally pretty comfortable being alone. I've traveled internationally alone for weeks at a time, have no problem going to see a movie alone, and am a bit of a homebody, especially in the winter when I go into hibernation. But I also am very close to my coworkers and really miss the daily chats, collaboration, brainstorming, and creative energy I get being around them. Not to mention assassinating other teams in our monthly bar trivia outings. It's really draining as a creative to spend all my time on a computer and trying to collaborate through Zoom or Slack. It just doesn't work as well for me, and seeing my work quality dip does not help my mood when it's the one thing I have to focus on.
Since we've talked almost exhaustively of risks around holidays and multi-household gatherings, here's my family update:
My mother (late 60s), brother, and his fiance spent Thanksgiving together at my mother's house. They live close by and have seen each other many, many times during the pandemic (my brother and fiance are two of the people my girlfriend and I have seen the most as well). My brother works in Hospital administration south of Boston and his fiance is a nurse in RI. Both are obviously working in person and are tested frequently (in her case, it's a requirement). They've always taken tests and other precautions before visiting us or my mother. However, they weren't able to schedule tests in the days before Thanksgiving, so they decided to chance it just this once.
Well, the fiance felt a little sick the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, my mother was moderately ill Fri-Monday (extreme fatigue, fever, chills, headache, etc.) of this week, my brother had mild symptoms Sun/Mon. My mother still feels a little fatigued and has a persistent headache. The fiancee was tested yesterday and received her results this morning - positive for COVID-19. My mother was tested this morning and my brother is getting tested this evening, but it's more likely than not that they have it too. We'll know for sure tomorrow or Friday.
On one hand, I'm glad my mother's symptoms aren't worse. She's old enough with some health complications (smoker, some minor heart problems years ago) that she's definitely at an elevated risk level. But it's also a pretty good example of how slight lapses can have major consequences. My mother is terrified of COVID and has essentially been isolated since March - the lone exception being visits from us after negative tests. My brother and his fiance have witnessed the worst of this first hand and have been extremely careful as well. One lapse in judgement is all it took.
Wow that really sucks. I have had more acquaintances get it over the past month, than probably the rest of the year combined. Hoping for the best.
To me, this period reminds me a lot of when I was going through cancer. The emotions are so similar: the anxiety, the fear, the isolation. I was in really bad shape in March and April - not sleeping, not eating, literally staring at a wall when not working because I couldn't even focus on a sitcom - but once I was able to get outside more, see my boyfriend (he was locked down in NY from March through mid-May), and have socially distanced picnics with friends, I felt a bit better. But with cold weather coming limiting my ability to exercise (my lungs struggle with the cold), limited daylight hours, and looking like a long time until the availability of a vaccine, I'm struggling to find energy to care to do anything.
I had my annual physical yesterday through Zoom and had to fill out an emotional questionnaire. It was pretty grim, and my physician recommended antidepressants for second time in my life. She said that at least half of her patients are expressing significantly heightened anxiety and depression, many for the first time. The number of people she prescribes antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for now is three or four times the same time last year, most of us expecting a short term course to get out of the crisis.
One of the things I've become very aware of is how much of my social lift I get from work. I'm incredibly introverted and generally pretty comfortable being alone. I've traveled internationally alone for weeks at a time, have no problem going to see a movie alone, and am a bit of a homebody, especially in the winter when I go into hibernation. But I also am very close to my coworkers and really miss the daily chats, collaboration, brainstorming, and creative energy I get being around them. Not to mention assassinating other teams in our monthly bar trivia outings. It's really draining as a creative to spend all my time on a computer and trying to collaborate through Zoom or Slack. It just doesn't work as well for me, and seeing my work quality dip does not help my mood when it's the one thing I have to focus on.
We're all in it, one way or another.
I honestly got a little irritated when I went in for my last physical and they asked me those questions. (I mean what do you expect that I'm going to be a ray of sunshine?). But of course for some it's worse than others, and they need to CYA. I feel bad for the position they are in, especially given the amount of people who probably need help beyond medication and that is in way too short supply.
I honestly got a little irritated when I went in for my last physical and they asked me those questions. (I mean what do you expect that I'm going to be a ray of sunshine?). But of course for some it's worse than others, and they need to CYA. I feel bad for the position they are in, especially given the amount of people who probably need help beyond medication and that is in way too short supply.
The thing is, a lot of us don't have anyone asking us if we're okay.
The thing is, a lot of us don't have anyone asking us if we're okay.
They at least need to figure out a better way of asking it. Maybe "I realize life has not treated most of us all that well this year and it's normal to be feeling down in the dumps, but would you say it has hit you worse than others or have you gotten to the point of giving up or wanting to harm yourself? etc. etc."...it just might go over a little better in general.
Wow that really sucks. I have had more acquaintances get it over the past month, than probably the rest of the year combined. Hoping for the best.
Thanks - same here actually. More so than in the spring. I don't know if it's that people are more open about it now or if it's really hitting closer to home though.
Thanks - same here actually. More so than in the spring. I don't know if it's that people are more open about it now or if it's really hitting closer to home though.
Same here. I know more people who are getting it now, then in the spring. Fortunately those who are getting it now are having very minor symptoms. All the severe cases I know of got it back in Mar/April.
My two brother-in-laws and uncle are firefighters in and around Greater Boston. We spoke via Zoom on Thanksgiving and they said that the last 2 weeks they have responded to more Covid calls than they did in the spring. They were 911 calls for people who were at home dealing with the virus, but having trouble breathing and needed help. The ages ranged from 18-80 they said.
I honestly got a little irritated when I went in for my last physical and they asked me those questions. (I mean what do you expect that I'm going to be a ray of sunshine?). But of course for some it's worse than others, and they need to CYA. I feel bad for the position they are in, especially given the amount of people who probably need help beyond medication and that is in way too short supply.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bizcuit
The thing is, a lot of us don't have anyone asking us if we're okay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by massnative71
They at least need to figure out a better way of asking it. Maybe "I realize life has not treated most of us all that well this year and it's normal to be feeling down in the dumps, but would you say it has hit you worse than others or have you gotten to the point of giving up or wanting to harm yourself? etc. etc."...it just might go over a little better in general.
If you leg is hurting you over a long period of time, you go to a doctor to have it checked out. That's less often the case if you are struggling with your mental health.
Looking at it as "am I having a harder time than other people?" isn't helpful, because everyone is different. A level of anxiety that might not even phase me might make someone else crumble. If your leg hurt when you went to the doctor, you wouldn't say "but other people have it worse than me." It's YOUR leg! Mental health is the same way, and how you feel is independent of anyone else. In particular right now, it feels like everyone is struggling but just because that level of depression and anxiety is widely acknowledged and normalized doesn't mean it's normal or something you have to drag yourself through.
The questionnaire I had to answer asked me to quantify how many days in the past 2 weeks I had felt sad, anxious, hopeless, lacked energy, had a hard time focusing, thought about self-harm, thought about suicide, and a few others I can't remember. To Bizcuit's point, many people don't have anyone to ask them. And additionally, many people don't know that some of those symptoms could be anxiety or depression. They give physicians an indicator of how to broach the topic, and force the patient to check in with themselves.
I'm currently completely comfortable talking about mental health with my doctor so I was planning on bringing up how I was feeling anyway, but my anxiety was first diagnosed because of a questionnaire just like this. I thought I couldn't "really" have anxiety because I was very high functioning. Anxiety was for people who had panic attacks or couldn't leave their house, not me. That's part of the problem with comparing yourself - I went many years through high school and college compensating for my anxiety when there was treatment available to get me out of the cycle. A year of meds and some talk therapy, and I was happier than I ever realized I could be! Until now, at least.
So many of us are struggling, but we don't *have* to struggle without help. If meds help you, great! If meds are a way for you to get to a baseline where you can work through things before weaning off, great! If you don't want meds, great! My physician suggested therapy, but for me, the idea of doing therapy via Zoom is worse than sitting with my anxiety... and that's fine too! But you don't have to deny yourself medical care and support just because other people are handling it worse than you if you need the help.
It's one thing to feel bummed out, but there's a wide gulf between bummed out and considering self harm that can still be evaluated and treated.
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). But of course for some it's worse than others, and they need to CYA. I feel bad for the position they are in, especially given the amount of people who probably need help beyond medication and that is in way too short supply.
