The forgotten impact of COVID-19

     I have been working from home since March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning, I did not know what to expect from the changes, as working from home is foreign to me. Transition of the physical office and equipment was seamless. My transition has not been as easy.  It’s been hard to develop a structure to the day. Caring for my two dogs and their needs started to distract me and impact the flow of my work. The workdays became longer. They started earlier and ended close to bedtime. Work started to pile up, voice mails were unanswered, notes undone, phone calls missed, and stress levels started to pile up like trash in a landfill. Just like trash in the landfill, stress was not breaking down just getting stored.

     The social distancing became isolation, as I was apart from the other professionals in the office, my professional network. Even though we all carry a different load and unrelated roles, it’s comforting to leave the office and talk to someone about topics that help you connect with others. These moments gave me time to debrief and empty my cup a bit so I can handle the rest of the day. Sometimes these conversations gave me a different perspective and even grounded me. When do I debrief now? With whom do I bounce ideas? When do I take a break?

     The crisis calls started to increase and soon after the already packed schedules started to get worse and I started working a 12+hr days. Calls were coming in at any time of the day, evening, or weekends. The stories were dark and gloom. Parents unable to handle home schooling, because of their limited literacy or English proficiency, or even because they did not have internet at home. Marriages were hitting the breaking point or becoming trapped by domestic violence and emotional abuse. People were afraid of losing their housing. People concerned about where their next meal was coming from. Single mothers trying to work from home while caring for small children. Alcoholics fearful to relapse because their meetings were shut down. Patient's symptoms worsening because the day programs that provided needed daily structure and social network were closed. People fearful of dying alone because they do not have anyone or grieving the death of a loved one from COVID-19. People breaking down because of fear and loss.

     As the weeks went by, I felt powerless. The drugs I managed were no match for this level of assault. This virus not only attacked our lungs, and body systems but also our mental health, our sense of safety, our job security, our freedoms, and our relationships to say the least. It just hijacked our hope and plans, and it awakened the monster of grief.

     The work I loved became taxing, and I needed to do something to manage the impact of the stress to not allow it to fester and implode. As good mental health provider I am strong believer of self-care and I have a high level awareness on the impact of neglecting this important tool. So, I just started crafting. On the first 2 weeks I made about 30 greeting cards. It was cathartic. Soon after someone told me, "if you didn't craft so much you will not be as behind in your work". Perhaps some truth to that statement, but crafting is not just a waste of time, or just turning trash into treasure or making greetings cards. Crafting is my lifesaver in turbulent waters. It is the tool I chose to cope.  It allows my brain to shift from what I cannot control to what I can. It allows me to deal with problems of lesser importance, like what color to choose, or what paper, textures, shapes, etc. It allows me to channel negative, toxic energy into something positive that tells a story. Crafting trigger endorphins that make feel good and allows me to decrease the allostatic load to a lower level.

None of us is exempt from the impact of this pandemic in one way or another. I encourage you all to do a daily self-assessment or your stress levels, allow yourself to be in solitude so you can reflect and assess course. Go in your toolkit of coping techniques and make use of what you have. You are important! COVID-19 could be even more devastating than already is. As you continue to protect yourself physically, do not neglect your mental health in this crisis.