In an exclusive chat with Medicircle.in, Aanchal Narang Psychologist, Another Light Counselling shares how to deal with Post-Pandemic depression 

Post-Pandemic Depression and how to deal with it 

The shared experiences of a global pandemic call for its own set of questions to address. One of these questions is,

“What happens after this?”

Extended isolation and social distancing bring with it depression, anxiety, touch starvation, and several other small and big traumas. Post-pandemic, these issues are not likely to just go away. So what happens next is that you allow yourself to process in order to heal, and if needed, get professional help, advises Aanchal Narang who is experiencing additional caseloads at her clinic due to the pandemic situation.

Dealing with grief, loss, isolation, abusive households, loss of a job, and loss of a regular life so to say, will inevitably mean that you have a whirlwind of emotions to deal with says, Aanchal Narang, Psychologist, Another Light Counselling. You are also going through the loss of a “regular” life, where you’re unable to do your favorite activities, socialize normally, or basically experience any human contact. After life reverts to “normal,” you will have to deal with a completely new set of emotions. You won’t be the same person you were before. The pandemic takes its toll and you will inevitably feel weak and overwhelmed. In times like those, show yourself some self-compassion. Allow yourself to feel your pain, and address how you can work on these emotions to make yourself feel better.

According to Aanchal Narang, COVID is not just a here-and-now phenomenon. It will have a lasting impact on how the world functions and how you personally function as well, even when it no longer exists. With the overwhelming emotions, there are a few things that you should do in order to help yourself.

- Work-from-home might become the new norm. Find ways to make this a bearable, if not fun, experience for yourself.

- Look for new experiences that you can truly enjoy for yourself. Solo activities were essential pre-pandemic, but they are all the more important now to keep your mind busy and uncluttered.

- While social distancing and self-isolation mean a lack of physical human contact, find new people to interact with online. Hold game nights with your friends, join a community, find people with who you can spend time and who make you happy.

The journey to self-compassion does not start later. COVID is a difficult situation where you need to be able to deal with your mental health in a non-detrimental manner. Give yourself time to feel bad about things, process those feelings, and then work on your healing, connect to things that motivate you, and indulge in hobbies to beat the depression says, Aanchal Narang.

The consequence of not doing so could be burnout. You might be unable to find the motivation to keep living the way you do. Finding things that make you happy and healthy are essential to prevent the feeling of despair from taking over. Feeling overwhelmed is normal, how you deal with that feeling is a skill you need to hone.

                                                                                        Disclaimer

The views expressed are of Aanchal Narang, Psychologist, Another light Counselling, Medicircle.in would not be liable for any loss/damage arising from the above article or any associations thereof.