Mental Health and the Pandemic

I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not.
The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone.

-Robin Williams

Staying at home during a pandemic hasn’t been easy for everyone. College students who’ve had to go home to their toxic families, people who’ve lost their jobs, they’re all struggling. While some people have used this time to better themselves, others' mental health has deteriorated because of the toxicity around them. Many teenagers are suffering from skin hunger because skin-to-skin contact is vital for not only mental and emotional health but physical health too. A simple hug can calm certain bodily functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. People with positive environments have dealt with being on lockdown better. Many people have started working out, losing weight, or developing a new talent or hobby, while others might have a harder time dealing with a deadly pandemic.

The world seems to be struggling with toxic productivity. Similar to hustle culture or workaholism, toxic productivity refers to an unhealthy and extreme obsession with productivity. Dealing with such grave situations isn’t easy for everybody. Denying it won’t help, but there are thousands of people dying every day, and even though they might not be relatives or friends, it still takes a toll on mental health. Dozens of people are committing suicides just so that they can stop dealing with everything that’s going on around them. Looking at the same people every day in close proximity for over 8 months can be a struggle for anyone. Going out isn’t safe, but staying at home somehow feels worse than going out and actually getting COVID. Society sets unrealistic standards; people are expected to excel at everything they do. They’re expected to be productive even when there’s a pandemic going on and people are actually dying. Everyone who's struggling to deal with it is either being looked down upon, or they’re feeling like failures.