5 Reminders If You’re Feeling Down During The Everlasting Pandemic

If you feel like you’re more anxious and hopeless than at any other point in the pandemic, you’re not alone. Some of us did our parts, some didn’t. Some believed one thing, some believed the other. Let’s be honest, we thought this pandemic was actually going to end at some point earlier than today but were instead hit with news about new variants that shocked but didn’t surprise us. This is surely a rough time for many of us, and it’s okay if you’re feeling down. So here are 5 reminders that can help you regain control of your life again.

Reminder 1 — get off your phone

If you’re like me, you probably went down the rabbithole of endless social media to either read the latest covid-related news or to see other posts and funny videos to distract yourself from the scary world. Social media is a great way to discover new things and connect with people, but we all know about its negative rabbithole-prone algorithm. At some point, I think we were able to work on ourselves to not hawk over the news, or just get off social media and find other things that we can enjoy that wouldn’t require us to be glued to our phones.

And it worked. It made us happier, it allowed us to live in the present a little better. It may not have been the smoothest transition, but it probably brought some level of positivity in your life. The media started spitting positive news, about how the vaccine is working, and how the world is starting to open up soon. We all thought we saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and social media gave us positivity.

But as we slowly crept back to social media and got a bit too comfortable, negative news started to flood back. And what happens when we use social media too much when there’s negative news? You got it.

So do yourself a favor, stay off of social media, especially the news for a while.

Reminder 2 — You know the drill

It’s okay to feel anxiety, worry, fear, and just tired from all of these pandemic shenanigans. And with new variants popping up and sweeping across the world causing record cases, it’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling. But don’t forget to remind yourself that it’s nothing new. There may be more cases near you, and it may feel more “real” but remind yourself that you know what you need to do, and you have control over what you need to do. You know you need to wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face, wear a mask, get vaccinated and boosted, be respectful of people’s comfort levels and boundaries. You know what a good and a bad decision look like when it comes to safety.

Sure you may be able to make a few adjustments like upgrade the quality of your mask, or reassess “safe” areas like indoor areas. But for the most part, what’s changed is your mentality and your emotions, but deep inside, you know what you need to do, and believe in it. Assess what you have and don’t have control over, and focus on being consistent with what you have control over. You most likely have a much better idea what you have control over than the very beginning of the pandemic, putting you in a much better space than in the beginning.

Reminder 3 — Be open about your comfort level

Related to and briefly mentioned above, it’s important to be able to assess your boundary and comfort level, to communicate your comfort levels to others, and to respect other peoples’ comfort levels. This is most likely an assessment done in the beginning of the pandemic, and some people kept the same boundaries, some people slightly shifted boundaries, or some people may have completely gotten rid of boundaries to pre-pandemic level. As long as it’s responsible (for example, ripping a face mask off of someone’s face is not responsible), there’s no right answer to a person’s comfort level.

Here are some questions to help you decide how to determine your comfort level:

• Am I comfortable being indoors/outdoors?
• What level of protection am I comfortable with (type of masks, distance, sharing, etc.)
• Do I want others to follow the same level of protection as I want or can they be different (different types of masks, others can take their masks off as long as I keep it on, etc.)
• Am I comfortable with any level of maskless situation (eating, maskless hangout indoors/outdoors, etc.)

Remember, you don’t need to justify your comfort level to anyone. They don’t have to “make sense”. Whatever you’re comfortable with is what you’re comfortable with. And considering how long we’ve had protective measures, most people shouldn’t be surprised when someone says that they want to tighten their protective measures. And if your friends are not understanding and are not willing to accept your comfort level… It might be best to be in an environment where you can feel comfortable at least while the pandemic is still raging.

Reminder 4 — Check in with your friends

Just like you may be feeling uneasy and stressed, your friends may be too. Zoom doesn’t feel too novel anymore, and many of us may have gotten seeing people across screens, or needing to constantly reach out to set up a conversation or a hangout. And it’s completely okay. But remember, a simple text can put a smile on someone’s face. Just a simple “hey I’ve been thinking about you and hope you’re doing okay” can really change someone’s day. Even if you haven’t reached out to someone in a very long time, it’s okay to still message. Even if it feels “awkward” to text out of the blue, a simple text is much better than trying to silently battle the awkwardness by not reaching out and letting the other person know that you’ve been thinking about them.

Reminder 5 — Check in with yourself

Last, and probably the most important, please remember to check in with yourself. It’s okay to feel the way you feel, but it’s important to be aware and acknowledge what you’re feeling. The pandemic probably taught a lot of us how unchecked emotions can go rampage easily if not checked. Be kind to yourself. Let yourself feel what you feel. Write anything down or talk to anyone if you need to.

If you haven’t checked in with yourself lately, it may be very hard to get back into it. Facing emotions can be daunting and requires a lot of activation energy. If this is the case for you, start slow. Walk around and just observe what’s around you, like trees, noise, the air. And slowly starting to think about what those observations are making you feel. Then let yourself think about anything. And eventually think about your state, what you’re missing, what you want, what you need, what you have control over and what you don’t, and what you can do for yourself.

There are a bunch more reminders that can be listed but these are the five big ones to start with. But the most important thing is that it’s okay to feel the way you feel, and you still have aspects that you can control and are responsible for.

I hope you found this post helpful, or share it with people who can use some reminders!