Reach out – mental health support at this time is vital
As we live through these strange and uncertain times, the trauma that some of us will go through with this virus will, no doubt, have a profound effect on our lives. For those who contract the virus, the fear and pain that ensues may be very traumatic on their mental health and physical wellbeing. For those whose lives are lost, the people around them will never be the same again.
For all of us, life has taken on a whole new rhythm and purpose, one we are all finding ways to adapt to. Either way, this virus has created a very distressing and disturbing environment and that, by definition, is a trauma.
As a society, we often think trauma is something like going through a war, child abuse or a severe or fatal accident but the truth is, a trauma is just that, a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
Trauma affects a person’s mental health and their entire body. The mental symptoms of trauma can show up immediately after the event or may take weeks, months or even years to come out. The body’s response can’t be masked so well, and research has shown that some adult victims of child abuse have shown physical symptoms much later on in life before the mental symptoms arise.
A life threatening or serious illness can also be traumatic for all involved. Having worked with families living with a child with a life threatening or terminal illness, the trauma of the illness can have far reaching effects on all the family. Parents fighting tooth and nail to make their child well again and siblings living with the knowledge that their brother or sister could die, is traumatic on so many levels. Charities like Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity support these families while they are going through this difficult time.
We can learn from this model – support now during this time can really help those experiencing the virus first-hand. Like cancer or such like, this virus will impact on all of us in some way. Support now while the anxiety, confusion and fear is around, can make a huge difference to how someone recovers from it.
Counsellors and therapist are working virtually, offering a safe, non-judgemental and compassionate space for clients to talk about their concerns or fears. In whatever guise this takes, the support is vital and should be recognized.
For the elderly and the vulnerable, going out will be a frightening and daunting feeling and for their families, the fear of passing anything onto their loved ones will be just as concerning. Face timing a relative or friend can make the world of difference – just having that connection can help them feel less isolated and brings comfort knowing they are not alone.
On the other side, a client on the autistic spectrum told me, the other day, that not having to go out or being expected to be anywhere was really comforting. In a world that can feel overwhelming with huge expectations put on us every day, for some, the chance to just be can be reassuring. We are all so different and this new way of life will have its effects on each of us in our own way.
Reach out, keep in touch – we are social beings and many of us need that human interaction and at a time like this when all of humanity is facing this crisis together, please know there are people out there who can help.
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