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The readings on sleep discuss what is known as seasonal affective disorder. As the days get shorter there is less opportunity for exposure to daylight. That can result in one’s circadian rhythm becoming out of sync, causing sleep disturbances and feelings of depression. In a normal year there are increases in reported cases of depression, suicides and suicide attempts, domestic disturbances as well as increases in alcohol and drug abuse during the winter months. I’ve mentioned before my concerns about the effect of the measures taken at the height of the Pandemic. The lock downs and shuttering of places where social gatherings normally took place such as bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms, schools and churches severely limited opportunities for social interaction. But as social animals we need that interaction. For many the level of social isolation experienced generated feelings of depression because spending time isolated from others often causes people to start spending more time ruminating on their thoughts, particularly negative thoughts. Yet another factor was a sense of uncertainty and lack of control over the events affecting one’s life that are also tied to feelings of depression. And as people start to feel depressed they often turn to alcohol and drugs in an attempt to self-medicate and feel better. In the short-term that may provide an escape, but in the long-term it generally increases feelings of depression. Looking back at the Fall and Winter seasons of 2020 and 2021 it was a perfect storm scenario as all of these negative factors were coming together at the same time. All factors that play a role in depression. Many people were simply not equipped to deal with it. In terms of mental health the potential for disaster was recognized early on by mental health professionals. And there were indeed increases in alcohol use, drug use, overdose cases, domestic abuse and suicides. Although we’re coming out of the pandemic and most of the restrictions are easing, there are still lingering effects concerning mental health.
Now for this discussion, I’d like you to look at this from the opposite point of view. How did each of you manage, and how are each of you still managing to deal with all of this? Share your ideas on coping strategies, ways of distracting yourself from negative thoughts and whatever else you’ve found that helped you stay positive amidst all that disrupted our lives for such an extended period.
In my own case I made it a point to get out and take a walk everyday, which allowed me to get some sun and clear my head. Puttering about on the balcony with my plants provided similar benefits. I was also doing a lot of writing as I worked on expanding on my lecture handouts to generate the readings for this class as well as coming up with ideas for the reflections and discussions. Although a lot of work, it was also a positive and creative exercise that provided a sense of accomplishment. Another thing I worked on throughout the pandemic was trying to improve on my cooking abilities. All those years of watching MasterChef Junior finally paid off. I can honestly say I’m now able to cook like a ten-year-old. Salads, pasta dishes, tuna, salmon, chicken, chops, steaks are among those that I can now successfully prepare with a certain degree of skill that I never really developed before. And then there was Roku. All sorts of fun distractions were to be found on Roku. 🙂
So that’s the idea, share with each other how you effectively dealt with life during the pandemic. Hopefully we can learn from each other and generate a kind of pandemic during winter survival guide. With the world population steadily increasing (now over 8 billion) and an ever expanding global economy it’s just a matter of time before something like this recurs. We really can’t be sure that governments will handle it any better when that happens. But, we can learn how to cope with it ourselves as best as possible. Try to make your initial submission by the middle of the week. Then respond to a couple of your peers by 11:59 pm Sunday.