We will never forget that day when things were changing, and chaos and fear began. The unknown stepped forward and created a massive wave of uncertainty. From Lockdowns to restrictions to implementations of sanitizing and wearing a mask wherever you went in a limited capacity space, no one would have predicted what was about to arrive and I am not talking about covid itself, I am speaking about mental health.
In Canada, mental health has been in crisis for over 20 years. Many funding, initiatives were created yet we rarely heard about the implementation of how they were functioning.
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA 2021) advised that in any given year 1 in 5 Canadians will personally go through a mental health struggle. A 2021 statistic and yet it was always 1 in 5 pre-pandemic according to Mental Health Commission Canada. Were there no significant signs around mental health struggles during the pandemic? Or was it ignored over the speakers of pandemic rules/regulations and reducing the curve?
In 2021 we got used to the pandemic life, but significant changes start to rise. Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Self harming and disordered eating began to resurface. Pre-existing struggles began to bubble up and for many who have never experienced a mental health struggle were shocked to feel these unknown emotions.
In the Summer of 2021, mental health professionals across Canada saw a ginormous hike in people seeking help and therapy. So much so, that waitlists were formed for the ones who were always readily available pre-pandemic.
The Fall of 2021, burnout from every profession and more so in first responders, trauma/ICU nurses, teachers , parents and students were very prominent. Staff shortages began and new hires were entrenched into the mud of work without the opportunity of full training.
Pandemic has changed all of our lives in different ways, from loss wages to job loss, to grief to mental health struggles, it has changed how our life was in 2019. We will never feel the same way again.
However, who takes care of our mental health when we know the way our world runs is on fear? For many the most difficult hurdle is not seeking help, it’s asking for help. And it was rarely heard and seen.
As we begin to move out of restrictions and learn to live with the reminisce of the pandemic, know that your mental health was and is a priority. It was left out in the dark for 2 years and it’s okay to not be okay right now. Healing is very messy and will always require a gentle way of dealing with what happened over this pandemic.
I hear you! I see you! Your mental health matters! You Matter! Even when mental health was left out in the dark.
Written by Parul Shah