I’ve noticed a lot of people have not spoken about the mental health portion of the Wuhan coronavirus. If they do, it does not receive a lot of publicity. Hopefully, now people will pay attention to it.
Authorities say a husband killed his wife and himself over concerns of the coronavirus.
The husband thought they had the coronavirus:
In a news release, the Will County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies who were dispatched to a home in Lockport Township to conduct a welfare check discovered the bodies of 54—year-old Patrick Jesernik and 59-year-old Cheryl Schriefer. The two, whose bodies were found in separate rooms in the residence, had each been shot once and a gun was near Jesernik’s body.The investigation determined that Jesernik had shot Schriefer in the back of the head before shooting himself.According to the release, relatives told detectives that Jesernik had been frightened that he and Schriefer had contracted the COVID-19 virus and that Schriefer was having difficulty breathing.The relatives told investigators that Schriefer had been tested earlier in the week but they did not believe she received the results yet. According to the release, an autopsy revealed determined that Jesernik and Schriefer tested negative for the virus.
I’m not trying to downplay the pandemic, but everyone can see the MSM is causing a panic with their coverage. Is it serious? Yes. But the MSM leaves out so much information or buries it within the stories.
Their actions do not help us. A lot of us have mental health issues, but the quarantine can cause problems with those who do not have those issues.
Extroverts have a hard time staying home. Introverts like me have a hard time because we have no alone time. (Some of us don’t leave the house because we hate the outside. Some of us like me don’t leave the house because of social anxiety and people.)
Mental health professionals have witnessed a spike in those seeking their help:
“I don’t think anyone is adjusting to a sense of normal. There’s nothing normal about this,” said Dr. Robin Henderson, PsyD, with Providence Medical Group. “At this point everyone is dealing with a level of stress and anxiety regardless of your situation.”With an unknown timeline for when things will go back to normal, Henderson says people will begin seeing negative effects caused by their anxiety.”It can trigger other types of traumatic responses. It can trigger a lack of sleep, it can trigger too much sleep, it can trigger all types of regression to other types of behaviors that perhaps you hadn’t been in for a while, especially in our children,” she said.
It does not help that we do not have sports as a distraction. Some people don’t get why friends or relatives love sports so much. For me, baseball is my ultimate release. Those around me notice a drastic change in my personality during the off-season.
I’m not alone. So what else can we do to help our mental health?
Don’t consume the news 24/7. Don’t look at the numbers. Remember that America has almost 330 million people. If the media and government present numbers in percentages the panic would die down.
Go outside. Quarantine does not mean stay inside your house all day. It just means stay home. Sit in your backyard.
Don’t have exercise equipment at home? Walk the perimeter of your house. Invest in a treadmill or elliptical. I have the latter and let me tell you. It means I do not have an excuse to not work out any time of the year! It’s worth it.
Do aerobic exercises offered on YouTube. You can choose yoga or pilates.
Read books. Research a subject you’ve always loved. You have all the information in the world at your fingertips.
Do not ever be ashamed or embarrassed to reach out. No one suffers alone. You always have someone whether that person is a stranger, friend, or relative.
These are not cures. But taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
If you’ve had thoughts about suicide please call the Suicide Prevention Resource Center: 1-800-273-8255
If you need to talk to someone:
Department of Health and Human Services National Hotline: 1-800-662-4357
Integral Care has a hotline with 15 languages: 512-472-HELP
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264
Crisis Text 24/7: Text HELLO to 741741
Talkspace:offering $100 off with code 1004U. They’re also providing free messaging therapy for nurses, doctors, and social workers. According to the site, healthcare workers can register via the app (Google Play or App Store) or website by providing their NPI and state of residence for verification. Once verified, they will gain access to Talkspace’s Unlimited Messaging Plus plan.BetterHelp: 50% off the typical weekly membership price of $65, “which includes both unlimited messaging with their therapist and a weekly live session over phone or video,” according to Alon Matas, BetterHelp founder and president.Wellnite: Offering four free 30-minute mental health coaching sessions via chat. To redeem the free Wellnite sessions, use the code “COMPASSION” through this link.AbleTo: Includes a free mental health toolkit and additional resources for families at https://info.ableto.com/coronavirus.
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