A NEW BEGINNING
Written By: Dr. Michael Hedgecock, Program Manager, AnMed Health Behavioral Health Center
The famous lyrics, “Times like these we learn to live again.”, from the Foo Fighters have rang true this past year. People have experienced immense stress and anxiety. I do not believe we have even begun to scratch the surface on the ramifications of the coronavirus on mental health issues. We have lived in uncertain times for the past year. Some people are understandably fearful, anxious, and stressed to the point that it starts to manifest in everyday life. We know that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental health issues prior to the pandemic that has taken more than a half a million lives in the United States alone. So many people have experienced loss of a family member or friend. There has been increased unemployment, downsizing of jobs, and businesses closed causing more families than ever struggling with food insecurity. People are isolated working from home or attending school classes virtually from home. A sense of normalcy is gone with sporting events cancelled, weddings postponed, and graduations limited. Anxiety has increased due to inability to see and celebrate with friends and family. Having a family member die alone in a hospital due to COVID-19 has made the grief process more trying. The question is what can we do to help ourselves, family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers get through this.
