Those With Mental Health Issues Face Additional Challenges During 2020

It can be hard to figure out what a “normal” response to our current situation looks like, but it’s even harder for those who have mental health issues. Here are some things I’m doing to try and embrace our new reality, while at the same time cutting myself some slack.

I’m at high-risk due to chronic health issues and a weak and scarred lung for complications from Covid-19, so my partner and I decided in March to keep me home whenever possible. I have left the house a few times a week to drive and drop-off, or drive and pick-up, or drive to hug a tree at a deserted park, but for the most part, the fresh air I suck into my lungs comes to me by way of the balcony.

Early on I avoided going out to even take a walk around the block. I realized I felt unsafe no matter what. Passing someone on the street was like playing a game of chance that always ended up with me feeling afraid. Reading people’s faces to understand if I’m in danger of being assaulted is a skill I’ve had to hone since childhood and I rely on it to move through the world without escalating anxiety. If a person was wearing a mask, I couldn’t read their facial clues, which meant my body reacted as if they probably were a threat. On the flip side, if they weren’t wearing a mask, it meant they didn’t care about my life as a high-risk person…