During the journey of the world and society that we live in, we witnessed two big wars where guns and bombs were the only way out of these situations that left suffering and a lot of lost lives.
However, in our history, we never thought that one day we would face a mortal enemy, but the weapon against him would be love, empathy, and solidarity and our main advantage would be, in fact, quite simple: stay at home.
Once again we were surprised. Initially, the idea was very easy: stay 15 days at home, working and studying in the comfort of home, and soon we would be returning to normal. But, as we know, things got out of control and now, we are moving into the second year in quarantine, which has resulted in many psychological problems and in a lot of people. Including anxiety.
To help our readers and make this difficult period a little easier to deal with, we, from the Her Campus team, contacted a psychotherapist in search of tips and ways to get through this mentally healthy, knowing how to love yourself, know yourself and put yourself first.
People are asking for help?
First of all, the psychologist Samira Falcão commented on the increased demand for psychological help during the pandemic and mental disorders. She tells: “The demand increased a lot and patients arrived differently than they were before Covid. With a lot of anguish, with very complex sensations and different behaviors, especially in the way of reporting. The Pandemic left feelings and sensations very strong, in a way that was impossible for patients to put off for later.”
Still on the patient behaviors that she assumes have become more complex, Samira says: “Patients began to adopt self-destructive measures, abusing alcohol, nicotine, suicide attempts and self-injury.” She also assumes that she believes that we will only be able to have safe containment for these patients when the pandemic has passed.”
In terms of anxiety, she claims: “There was a lot of increase in anxiety, precisely because anxiety is an important defense mechanism for our organism. This was closely related to how the future would be and feelings of insecurity. It is possible to notice a pattern of exhaustion among people.”
How to get help
And finally, Samira also shares some tips and advice for better dealing with these disorders during quarantine. “It’s essential to observe your thoughts and feelings. When the strategies we have aren’t enough to keep us well, it’s time to seek help from therapy. It’s also important to identify new pleasures, have limits on the consumption of catastrophic news, change the routine a little, and know when to stop. But, the most important thing is to focus and have hope for the future. Understand that everything will pass, post-pandemic plans are always welcome.”
And there? What are your post-quarantine plans?
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The article above was edited by Giullia Cartaxo.
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