Emotional and mental impacts of pandemic are real

As we mark one year of living in an unprecedented pandemic world, the emotional and mental impacts of social distancing and physical disconnection are being felt and seen by many of us in our community.

Many of us are experiencing COVID-19's mental and physical exhaustion, which has greatly impacted the quality of life in our area. We feel forced to make decisions that feel impossible to do 'the right thing,” and ultimately, we go back and forth between two questions: Do I continue to abide by safety precautions I know are effective (wearing a mask, not visiting extended family and staying 6 feet apart from others not in our home, etc.)? Or, do I address my needs to be connected to others and decrease my precautions because it feels necessary to support my mental health?

These decisions do not just affect us. Helping our kids, employees, co-workers and friends try and find the balance between safety measures and feeling connected to those who are their emotional support is tough, too.

Many times, the stigma of being 'less than” prevents us from sharing our struggles with others. Who will judge us? What does it say about us? Why can't we handle it all? Because people don't reach out to express their struggles, we don't always know who is suffering and the extent of this suffering. It is this unknown that fills us with fear and creates challenges in balancing precautions and social connectedness.

It is difficult to get data on suicide in 'real time” but anecdotally, an increase in suicidal thinking, behavior, attempts and deaths is likely in the coming months and years. Evidence from previous epidemics suggest a short-term decrease in suicide can occur initially - possibly linked to the camaraderie of 'in it together” concepts. But we just don't know what to expect. Because of the unknown, those in the mental health and crisis support field are acutely aware of the necessary supports that must be in place to ensure that when people are ready to get support, it is there.

As we have seen, the pandemic has been an ever-changing situation. People in our community are making decisions every day based on the information available at that moment in time. We see those decisions on social media and in texts - trips, meals out, spending time with family, no-mask photos - and judgments are made on them.

But what is the common thread in these judgments? If we dig deeper and take a closer look, it is fear.

What can we do to alleviate this emotion? Trust. Trust that decisions being made by that person are the best for them and their circumstances. Those decisions look different for everyone. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Trust they are making thoughtful decisions about what they need and how to keep themselves and loved ones safe. And if they ask you to participate in an activity with them, only do what you are comfortable with doing. We must continue to support each other and keep pushing forward into a new normal.

Members of the COVID-19 Mental Health Advisory Group are Emily Blomme, Foundation 2; Pramod Dwivedi, Linn County Public Health; Jody Bridgewater, MH/DS East Central Region; Sarah Zejnic, Catherine McAuley Center; and Kathy Koehn, AbbeHealth.