Living in a city which is enduring weeks of complete lockdown as its official response to Covid-19, has provided a rare opportunity to observe individual and communal emotional responses to an international crisis. I have found myself asking the question whether the lockdown and the threat of the pandemic has caused a mental health crisis, or whether it is possible that it has simply exacerbated a situation that already existed. Is an increased suicide rate, unprecedented depression and anxiety among children, increased domestic violence and incidents of public and social media rage, what we might reasonably expect in the face of social isolation, loss of employment and financial reversal?
I do not want to minimise the emotional impact on people who have lost loved ones to Covid-19, or are themselves suffering the after effects of having had the virus, or have lost a job, or a business or have lived alone for weeks in complete isolation. In my opinion all of those who have been directly affected deserve and need the very best support that a modern and compassionate society can offer. To feel forgotten or neglected by our fellows or our governments in a time of deep personal grief and loss is extremely painful and will frequently have a detrimental effect on a person’s mental health. It is to be expected that many people like this will experience heightened anxiety and depression and will need the help that counselling or medical intervention can provide. Among the important elements of a healthy society are the expressions of compassion we make to each other, and, in particular to those who are in need.
When I hear however, people claiming that their good mental health is dependent on being able to attend sporting events, or go to their local pub or restaurant, or travel overseas, or join thousands of others on a beach or more worryingly do whatever they like regardless of the law, then I wonder whether we have become a society whose happiness, peace of mind and general well-being depends on us having a desirable lifestyle and a raft of privileges. If our mental health is a product of our lifestyle or our sense of privilege rather than the other way round, it is a matter of deep concern.
The WHO defines mental health as a state of wellness, not as a mental health condition. “A state of well being in which an individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to her or his community.” The Beyond Blue website, states that research shows that high levels of mental health are associated with increased learning, creativity and productivity, more pro-social behaviour and positive social relationships. They conclude that ultimately, good mental health is about being cognitively, emotionally and socially healthy- the way we think, feel and develop our relationships- and not merely the absence of a mental health condition.
The psychiatrist, responsible for pioneering Rational Emotive Therapy, Dr Albert Ellis, concluded that adverse events in our lives, can lead us to harbour irrational beliefs and irrational beliefs lead us to having irrational thoughts which in turn lead to us to experience painful emotions. These painful emotions can lead to damaging behaviours. Ellis developed a model of people helping which enabled people to recognise their irrational thoughts and beliefs and challenge them.
It seems to me that at a time like this we need to challenge the way the Pandemic has impacted the way we think and what we believe. If we think that that Covid-19 is about to rob us of everything that is important, or that it is a tool being used by someone to take control of the world, or that the Government is seeking to destroy freedom and democracy, or that social isolation will last forever, then that will have a powerful impact on the way we think and feel. On the other hand, if we understand that it is a serious situation, but that our nation has the resources and the knowhow to defeat it, then that thought will lead us to a belief, that co-operating with the best medical advice, we together can rise above the pandemic.
When I discovered RET many years ago, as a Christian Counsellor, it excited me because it lined up with a biblical principle that had been important to me for a long time. That principle is that dark or negative thoughts are at the root of painful emotions and destructive behaviours. Listen to this wonderful advice given by Paul the Apostle to a group of believers who were enduring persecution for their faith. “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are worthy of praise.”
We can change our mood by ceasing to focus on the confusing, fear producing reports that give birth to feelings of hopeless, despair and anger. We can focus on being thankful for the amazing, compassionate country we live in, for the people we love and who love us, for the measure of health and freedom that we do have. We can focus on the wonders of technology that connects us to our loved ones despite isolation. For the stories of the heroism of our medical and emergency workers. Many of us will also want to focus on the truth that we are never alone. God is with us whatever our circumstances, loving us and giving us his peace.
God Bless
Graeme.