On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The very next day, we started the process of self-quarantining. A few days later, my country went into lockdown like many others worldwide.
Being in a situation where physical distancing is key to your survival is bound to impact your mental health. Life as we know it has been disrupted, and coping with the changes becomes necessary. I wondered if the home confinement and shift in lifestyle would be more strenuous for people like me diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I can only speak to my experience, as we do not have support groups in the Middle East. I don’t know many other bipolar people to understand how the general population copes. I can only speak for myself and strive to give you the tools that have worked for me. As the world was raging with uncertainty and emotions were running high, my anxiety spiked in the first few days. I was also dealing with a harassment situation at work whereby my previous manager pushed me to quit to avoid paying benefits. I was battling two giant stress balls, and I’ve never been a good juggler. What did I do to stay well while the world was changing before my eyes? #1 Attending online sessions Physical distancing does not equal social distancing and is not similar to going alone. I made sure my therapist would move our sessions online, and I committed to a weekly therapy session to make sure she would be there to detect unusual stress levels or abnormal mood changes. #2 Relying on friends My second call was to my group of best friends. We each live in a different country and have been each other’s support systems for years. We set a weekly call appointment for the six of us. I also asked a couple of them if we could have one-on-one calls for that extra weekly love and care hour. #3 Stocking medicines We often have stock issues in my country because of our economic crisis, so I’m used to stocking 6 months' worth of medicine. I did an inventory of everything I had and filled up my stock. #4 Creating a new daily routine Before the pandemic, I was working two part-time jobs. One was at an office, and one was remote. After the pandemic, I switched to working full-time with a remote job, and we agreed on a flexible schedule. I had to reorganize my pre-pandemic schedule and create a new routine. This is what it looks like:
#5 Reducing anxiety I’ll talk about three things that have helped.
We each have our own ways of maintaining stability during the Coronavirus pandemic. The most important thing is to be able to change and adapt to this new situation. Reach out to your support system if you need extra support. Ultimately, you’ll find a way to do the most sustainable and beneficial things for yourself.
1 Comment
Alison
4/17/2020 10:09:05 pm
It was so good to “meet” you tonight and share. I look forward to reading more on your blog.
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AuthorI was born in 1986 in Lebanon. I'm still trying to find my passion in life and in the meantime I'm learning to navigate my bipolarity and redefining stability. Archives
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