It’s been over a year. And I know you are well aware of this. I know you are aware of the facts and statistics about covid-19 and its effects on people’s health. Both physical and mental. So I’m not going to repeat them. Let’s call it as it is. Covid is deadly. We need to stay home. Do I think that the government could have done a better job handling the pandemic? Absolutely. But that’s in the past now. Mental health issues are on the rise as they have been for the last year. Suicide attempts have tripled. An article written by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health conducted a study this year that found in 2019, 10.9% of Canadians committed suicide per 100 000 people. However, it has been projected that in 2021, 13.6% of Canadians out of 100 000 people will commit suicide as a result of unemployment and isolation due to covid-19. Our mental health is killing us right now, and at times it is more deadly than the virus itself.
There's no denying it has been hard. But here's some things we can do.
Get into nature (spend 15 minutes outside every day)
Pick up a new book (see my suggested reading list for some BOMB ones)
Pretend the pandemic is over. That's right. Gone. What would you do? Go see a movie with 10 of your friends? Try this. Text those ten friends and say you're hosting a zoom dinner and movie night. Everyone is on zoom cooking together, laughing and drinking (if you're of age). Then, get on Netflix Party. If you really want to take it a step further, do a snack exchange and drop snacks off at each other's houses for the movie. I promise, you'll have a few laughs.
Journal
Reach out if you are struggling (see my page for resources you can access within Canada)
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