It’s no longer news that a lot of people have been relieved of their jobs during this COVID-19 era, but it’s even more saddening, in point of fact, that more people will be relieved of their jobs as we gradually approach the post-pandemic era. Did you lose a loved one? Your partner just broke up with you? In a deep financial mess? You can’t talk to anyone? You’ve been sexually abused? All these can weigh you down and if not well taken care of soon enough, it can lead to what we know as Depression.

As we all know that  depression is a silent killer and a deadly disease that can be potentially suicidal. Depression has been on the rise, since the inception of the unprecedented COVID-19 era. In a recent Chinese study exploring the psychological impacts of the disease, almost 35% of respondents reported psychological issues due to the pandemic. For those who were already depressed, COVID-19 is an additional complication.

I’ll be talking about how to handle post-COVID-19 depression and take care of your mental health in a story I’m about to share with you.

At the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic sometime in March, I started to go through some issues and they began to weigh me down. A lot of bad news and rumours were flying all around in the media about the world going to an end and all of that. And I was extremely worried about things I was yet to accomplish and began to put unnecessary pressure on myself. And because I stayed alone in my apartment, there was basically no one to talk to. This went on and on for a while until it started getting to me. Social media was not helping matters in any way and so I shut myself out from the online world. I kept wallowing in my thoughts and sorrow but it still didn’t help give a solution to what I was going through.

There were days when I cried.  Days when I was just eating everything available to get my mind off it. And days when music was my saviour. What really weighed me down and almost got me depressed was dwelling on all the news in the social media space and also seeing some of my friends and colleagues do fine and it felt like I was wasting away, all this was amidst the fact that I was dealing with some family issues at the time. I sometimes wished I was a little kid again with no worries because I understand that adulthood comes with a whole lot of responsibilities.

Fast-forwarding to my recovery process, a lot of silent prayers, bracing myself up and speaking to someone helped me recover gradually and now we are here. Listen, It’s okay to think about life sometimes and the future, but do not overthink it. Do not weigh yourself down with a lot of things on your mind, live life one step at a time.

Below are some tips to also help you take good care of your mental health in this era;

• Reach out for help whenever you need it. It’s okay to need help, but it’s a lot more advisable to reach out for it in the right places, as that help might include talking to someone, seeing a doctor or a therapist. And that might be all you need to get out of the state that you are.

• Keep to a healthy routine. What do you do with your 24 hours, if it’s something productive and brain tasking, I bet you won’t even have the time to overthink anything. And if it’s otherwise, then the next point is for you.

• Pause, breathe and reflect. Do not bother yourself with a lot of things at the same time. It’s okay to take a break from everything for a while, do a little bit of reflection and move on. But you must come out of reflection as a better person than you started it.

• Take a break from social media. I can totally agree to this, the social media space can be really noisy most especially if it’s not your business space or something. It’s okay to take a break off social media for a while and then come back to it. This can also be in your reflection stage.

• The most important point, eat healthily.  It is a lot important during this COVID-19 era to eat healthily. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, avoid fatty foods. Also, avoid alcohols and cigarettes cos they expose you to a higher chance of not surviving the virus if contracted. It’s very much better to be safe than sorry.

Do not forget that depression is a serious mental health condition but it is treatable, with the right methods and therapy. Be kind to yourself and to others. You might not be depressed but someone you know might be. So, your little acts of kindness can go a very long way. Connect with others. Reach out to that friend you’ve not heard from in a long while. Engage in hearty conversations with friends.

Reach out to someone today. Stay safe, stay healthy and evolve!