Coping With Covid-19: Holiday Edition 2.0
Plus, a highlight of meaningful events and articles from 2021
Once again, we find ourselves in another holiday season under the dark cloud of COVID-19, and the latest variant, Omicron, is about as welcome as that always hard fruitcake or curdled cup of eggnog (sorry, dad!). As if this season didn’t already come with enough heightened emotions and non-pandemic stressors, people are once again faced with the same difficult questions: Is it safe to travel? Can I see my family and friends? What about my children? Even the fully vaccinated – which, thankfully, constitutes a majority of adults at this point – cannot discount the possibility of contracting or transmitting the virus.
With the anticipated surge in COVID cases this winter comes an inevitable return of the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty that have been with us for the better part of two years now. Added to this may be a newfound sense of despair, particularly for those who banked all their hopes on the vaccines and boosters being the panacea. The possibility of heading back to the same restrictions or lockdowns that we saw implemented in the early parts of 2020 after the glimmers of hope we saw this year is enough to dampen even the strongest of spirits.
It’s no secret that this pandemic has been especially difficult for the mental health of so many Americans. Kaiser Family Foundation reported last week that over 30 percent of adults reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or a depressive disorder in April-May of 2020, up from 11 percent during the same time in 2019. This is a very real and very present problem we are all contending with at once.
Still, if we can accept that another holiday season is going to be not-quite-normal, it’s possible to make the most of it. And while I cringe even as write these words, we do need to do some mental gymnastics if we are going to get through this together. We need to be flexible and recognize that the pandemic and the Omicron variant may impact the ways we had planned to travel or celebrate with loved ones. For those who do gather with others, it is important to set boundaries (both for yourself and for others), to lessen the potential for tension or conflict. And as I’ve said before, it can only help to practice a bit of gratitude for whatever blessings, large or small, you have that make your life worth living.
The good news is that even though it may feel like it, we are not alone in how we feel. We are all in this together and can safely navigate the challenging times ahead if we keep the health and safety of others in mind. At the same time, we must prioritize our own mental health and well-being to have the happiest holiday that we can.
The Most Impactful Articles of 2021
As we prepare to turn the page on yet another year and start fresh in 2022, I wanted to highlight some of the ways that the issue of mental health made it into our national news cycle this year. Continuing the conversation and keeping this topic in the public eye is crucial to bring about more substantive change. Here are a few impactful articles I found from this past year:
● As with most facets of everyday life, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift in the way Americans visit their doctors. Along with an overall increase in people reporting mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, mental health telemedicine visits skyrocketed in the early months of the pandemic, allowing patients to continue their care virtually.
● Champion Olympic gymnast Simone Biles drew praise as well as criticism when she announced she would withdraw from competition to prioritize her mental well-being. Biles’ decision should prove inspirational to the legions of sports fans who struggle with their mental health. This journalist sums it up perfectly: “Part of being great is recognizing when you can’t be great.”
● Internal documents confirmed that parent company Facebook was made aware of disturbing research findings regarding Instagram’s damaging influence on younger users, particularly teenage girls. Among the findings, 32 percent of girls said the platform made them feel worse about their bodies, and six percent of American teen users who reported suicidal thoughts traced the desire to die by suicide to their activity on Instagram.
● I’ve written about this at length, but my heart still breaks thinking about how the U.S. passed 100,000 opioid deaths in this past year. The combination of the increased presence of fentanyl in street drugs with pandemic-heightened feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression have turned an unfortunate problem into a national health crisis that should be at the forefront of any serious mental health care reform discussion.
● While there’s not one article that I want to flag here, Ed Yong’s writing for the Atlantic on COVID-19 has been stellar. I highly encourage you to take a look at his thoughtful, well-constructed articles. I know personally he has helped shine a light on some of the deeper, more intimate sides of the pandemic, including the massive toll it has taken on our frontline health care workforce.
Notable Events in Mental Health in 2021
This year saw some exciting and promising developments in the mental health space. While we are a long way from the systemic reform that’s so desperately needed, every step in the right direction is a good one.
● In March, the Colorado Department of Health Services (CDHS) was directed to create a Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) by July 2022. This will be a single state entity funded specifically to manage behavioral health and substance use programs in Colorado. The governor is currently looking for a commissioner to oversee the new agency, so it will be exciting to see who fills the role.
● In April, President Biden announced the American Families Plan. The plan outlined major investments in areas of education and childcare intended to help struggling middle-class Americans. Included in the plan were provisions for comprehensive paid family and medical leave, as well as grants to fund mental health services at colleges and universities that serve low-income students.
● In June, I was fortunate enough to be able to provide witness testimony, along with several other esteemed members of the mental health community, before the United States Senate Committee on Finance about the state of mental health care in America. I explained the graveness of the mental health crisis in our country, as well as the key areas legislators should prioritize to achieve meaningful mental health care reform. Our Congress is likely to be pushing for some major mental health policy in the new year.
This has been quite the year, hasn’t it? I want to thank you all for continuing to do what you do to help advance mental health – for showing up here and engaging – and for all you will do to help our communities enhancing and advance our well-being.