Blogs
Dealing with COVID-19 as a therapist is dual-fold. We must comfort our clients, but we must also deal with the stress of the pandemic for ourselves and families just like most everyone else.
Therapy homework differs for each therapist and each client, and many therapists don't do therapy homework at all, which begs the question: does it actually help? I've had several different therapists over the years, and only one or two of them have ever given me therapy homework. Some of my friends in therapy have lots of homework, and I always wondered if my therapists were doing something wrong by not giving me things to do outside of sessions. Now that I've had one or two therapists who do give homework, I think I understand some of the benefits and problems with therapy homework.
Two things that I find to be true when supporting family members with mental illness at any time are these – you cannot pour from an empty cup, and oftentimes just being there is the most important thing. Here is how these truths have manifested themselves in our family’s life during COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused me to struggle with certain aspects of my depression more than I usually do, but I'm trying to cope in healthy ways. If you're also having trouble coping with your depression during this difficult time, maybe some of these ideas can help you, too.
Pursuing and surviving sobriety is no easy feat, and for women in addiction recovery, the challenge can feel even more strenuous. Addiction of any kind can touch the lives of just about everyone no matter our racial, ethnic, or religious background, however, the fight to stay sober might look different for different individuals pursuing recovery. ...
COVID-19, or coronavirus, is definitely taking a toll on my schizoaffective anxiety. I haven’t heard voices because of the stress (thankfully), but this is a case where I can’t tell myself I’m worrying about nothing, because everyone else in the world is freaking out about the same thing I am.
Anxious thoughts can be overwhelming, crushing, and exhausting. Cognitive-behavior therapy and other similar therapies teach that anxious thoughts are frequently more problematic than an actual anxiety-provoking situation. Problems do exist--we aren't making them up--but what causes us great stress and anxiety is ...
Coronavirus isolation is new, but here's the thing: the Coronavirus has made our planet its home for a while now. Although it showed up in December 2019, it is only in the month of March that we have decided to take it seriously. To contain the virus, many countries have prohibited people from leaving their homes and practice social distancing instead. This has naturally taken on a toll on the mental health of extroverts and ambiverts. And over time, it will affect introverts too (if it hasn't already). I speak from experience because I am an introvert whose depression was already worsened due to the lockdown. Let me elaborate.
I hate to say it, but my mental health hasn't changed much since the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Despite working directly with COVID patients, lack of protective personnel equipment (PPE), and a limited supply of masks—my attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains intact.
It's been difficult staying positive during the coronavirus lockdown. The last week has been a whirlwind of canceled flights, just-in-time border crossings, and mandatory lockdowns. It's been stressful, to say the least. But despite the occasional frenzy, I've been able to stay positive, finding the humor in the madness.
I've have both adhd and ocd that went undiagnosed until I was 25ish (turning 27 this summer) and it's an absolute mad house in my brain.
My life has been a struggle of needing food cut/prepared a certain way to eat it, then getting hyper focused on something and forgetting it entirely. Of being an awful student on paper because I could never follow along but having perfect notes that I spent hours on because I would stress otherwise. It's needing clean, organized spaces to your specifics so much you'll throw up otherwise but not having the attention span to finish the work. It's absolute hell.
I say this because growing up, I always assumed I was stupid, lazy, would never amount to anything. I'm a girl and I read a lot so it was never even a thought that maybe I had these disorders.
When I finally brought it up with my doctor and he came to the conclusion (after many sessions), it was like a weight had been lifted - only to fall directly back onto my shoulders.
When people don't believe that the conditions are real, let alone not able to live inside one person, it's demoralising. Because now I'm either a liar or exaggerating and suddenly my feelings are invalid.
I do take medication for the adhd, and it neither helps or worsens my ocd. However having even one condition "under control" has been better than both of them running wild.