Realize That All Of US Struggle

I understand that a lot of you may be struggling right now, especially as rumours of a 6th wave of the pandemic is circulating and the news from Congress that funding may soon be cut in the US for the battle against Covid-19. I have a few things to say about that, but first I want to encourage anyone reading to get all three of their vaccinations, and a fourth and fifth if they are able. The vaccine isn’t a solid shield of armour that will keep all disease away, but it is the best prevention we have from serious illness.

Studies are showing that most of the people who are being hospitalized now or dying from the illness have not been fully vaccinated. I want to emphasize though that the vaccine is not perfect. There are people who will have side effects and problems with the vaccine, but until the world can get on a program where everyone gets vaccinated, medical science has stated that Covid-19 is going to keep having more and more waves and there will keep on being more and more deaths. It is kind of like wearing a seatbelt. A lot of people wearing seatbelts and have a car with airbags will still die in car accidents. There are even rare cases where a seatbelt actually works against someone who may need to get out of a burning vehicle. But you have to play the percentages like any good gambler. When seatbelt legislation was first introduced in Canada, there had been a similar law previously put in place in Australia. A study had found that after seatbelt legislation was put in place, rates of deaths in car accidents went down 50%. This is many, many lives and when we look at either seatbelts or vaccines, we should realize that we are setting an example for others, especially young people who want to be like us. If we always wear a seatbelt and get all of our vaccinations, we may be saving more lives than just our own.

The pandemic is a serious issue for anyone with a mental health problem. It is very hard to stay inside and deal with isolation, boredom and loneliness, especially when you have an underlying condition like schizoaffective disorder, depression or bipolar. What I am hoping is that I can convince people who are isolating to take some time to get out and go for a walk in a place that isn’t crowded with people. I enjoy long walks because it gets me up and moving, helps me sleep better at night and keeps my diabetes and weight in check. Getting the exercise of your choice is the first, most basic step for people who may feel isolated.

Then comes the writing. If you are reading this, I will assume you are able to write. One of the best things you can do for both mental health and the quality of your writing is to keep a journal. Write down your thoughts, your feelings. Pretend as though you are sharing your life story with someone very close to you, and of course, keep this journal in a safe place, you should be the only person who reads it. One of the cool things about keeping a journal is that you can use it for wellness, and you can also save ideas and project plans that you want to keep for future use as I save ideas for my writing, including for this blog.

The next thing I have to suggest also has to do with writing. Write personal emails to friends or family members, even teachers if you had some who you really feel you connected with, or anyone with whom you haven’t spoken to in a while. Make it a daily routine to reach out to a certain number of people. Along with giving friends a quick call or a long phone call, write to people you once knew and have fallen out of touch with, perhaps by looking them up online or on Facebook. There really is nothing like old friends to make you feel less isolated. Meanwhile, you should look for online activities such as workshops regarding hobbies that interest you, say if you like sewing or beading or model building or writing poetry, with hopes of connecting with new, like-minded people you can become friends with.

One of the things I want to emphasize is that a huge period of growth for me came when I heard the Astronaut Chris Hadfield say that he started to really grow as a person when he realized that everyone, all the people you see, all the people you know, are struggling. Many people may see Chris Hadfield as a person without problems, but can you imagine the countless hours of preparation and hard work he had to put in to twice serve on board the International Space Station for a total of a year in space? Some days he would spend 6 hours underwater in a pool training to work in zero gravity in a mock space suit and then go home to spend countless hours studying every possible glitch, every system, every experiment that he had to take on as an astronaut.

Look at anyone around you, especially people who you may feel negative thoughts about and try to empathize with them. Think of a homeless person and how hard it is for them, even just to use a bathroom. Few businesses will let them use theirs without buying something, public bathrooms (in many places) are few and far between, and they have to find any form of food and shelter available as each day passes. If you feel negatively or angry with people who you may know well, people who you may have grown up with, remember that they too could have struggles with their ageing parents (as I do) and though they have a family, they may have to face a lot of things by themselves.

All this is well and good, but how it relates to mental illness is that there are ways for us to become accustomed to our illnesses and reach a potential that we once thought impossible. I never thought I would have nice things like a computer and a stereo to enjoy my time as I wrote, but with hard work, saving and constantly seeking opportunities to earn despite my crippling depression and occasional psychosis these things became a reality.

So that is my message to you Dear Readers. Consider others and find ways to get through isolation and illness hour by hour, day by day. And as a last note, when you look at others and understand they are struggling, remember that by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask we are not just protecting ourselves and shortening the time the world will have to fight Covid-19, we are protecting others.

Actually, that is not my last comment. One of the things I like to talk about applies here. Above all things, get yourself plugged into a community. A community can be anything. It can be the youth group of your church, it can be the people who run your community newspaper. Try not to get too involved with groups that are based on negative things, like illicit drugs, alcohol or gambling. Remember there are 12-step groups to help you deal with these things that can be a positive community as well. When you find that connection, you will soon learn that simply by participating in worthwhile activities and doing your best to truly help and care for others, (not forgetting support agencies like the Schizophrenia Society or other charities you can volunteer for) you will soon be accepted for who you are, not the illness you have. I understand it can be really hard at first, but it is so worth the effort. One of the communities I used to be a part of was simply people who went early to the pool. I still have some friends from that time and I want to establish more communities in my life like it as soon as it is possible.