My 2 mental remedies amid Indonesia’s record-breaking spike in Covid cases
After India, the Philippines, and Malaysia, it’s now our country that’s recently been hit badly by a surge of rising covid cases. This second wave is so unpredictable — and it’s even worse than before.
In May we saw new cases of over 5,000 per day and within less than a month, the number increased to 20,000. Then a shocking rise happened. From June to July the statistics have steadily shown spikes, and as I’m writing this article in mid-July, we’re now at over 40,000 new cases per day.
People living in the red zones constantly hear ambulance sirens every few hours. Hospitals are full and can no longer accept Covid patients with no symptoms. Consequently, those with no symptoms just have to recover by going through self-isolation at home (though some failed to survive). And just like a déjà vu, we’re now officially living our life under strict lockdown — again.
Many argue that this is all due to the new delta variant that has entered the borderline, although I have to say, ‘pandemic fatigue’ of ignoring health protocols is also responsible for this horrific event.
Things seem to be going backward with how education is going to run this academic year. And with the school term commencing soon, I can imagine we’re not going to have our second son having a face-to-face class anytime soon as part of our plan to overcome his speech delay.
As with my eldest son, I will also say no to his school if they stick to their blended learning arrangement this semester.
It’s so sad to know our sons have to stay at home for a long period, when — for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old — it’s really their precious moment to play outside, interact with friends and teachers, explore and learn.
But, it’s not just about them feeling bored and not fully experiencing what they should have. It’s also about the grievance over losing our friends. In less than one month my husband and I lost 5 of our friends. They were almost the same age as us, and also raising a family.
One friend, I recall, was the kind who liked to come up with hilarious jokes and laughed the loudest amongst us. A very friendly guy — and I bet, a loving father as well. I haven’t met him for a while, so the news about his death came as a complete shock.
And as you have guessed, the anxiety of hearing sad news almost every day has affected our mental health, especially my husband’s. More than 30 of his staff are infected with Covid. He regularly makes phone calls to them, checking on them and giving them advice and support.
Aside from that, now and then, whenever he’s on a call with his wider team, I overhear him giving motivational speeches over health, safety, and wellness to his teams. All of a sudden, he became a mental health coach.
It’s been tough for him. I recognized there was that period where he just couldn’t focus on his work. The fact that he lost 2 of his good friends also added more bitterness. Within that week, I caught him staring blankly several times when I was talking to him. He tried to pull himself together, and I spent more time being there for him. Amidst the unpredictable, however, I’m grateful that he’s gradually feeling better now.
I try my best to keep my family feeling safe and happy at home. Having multiple roles as a working mom and wife is definitely a challenge, but I’m glad to have these remedies as my savior in supporting my mental state.
Helping others
In this critical time, I feel like our family has been given countless blessings for being in a healthy state — physically and financially — where it may not be the case for many others. Apart from some friends and a few neighbors, we have family members living in a different city who are infected by Covid and are now doing self-isolation.
Other than that, many people lost their jobs, closed their businesses, and don’t forget the informal economy sector that holds a large portion of our nation — all those street vendors and mini-scale stores who are deeply struggling with their day-to-day needs.
My husband and I tried as best as we could to help. We’ve been sending food and health supplies to support those doing their self-isolation. We’ve also given donations to social organizations which distribute basic needs to the unfortunates, and we’ll be doing more.
Doing this has truly been a remedy for me — and I believe it’s also one of the things that helped my husband recover from his sorrow.
“Those who are the happiest are those who do the most to others” — Booker T. Washington, American educator
Tuning in to positive news
I stop seeing my Instagram feed — too afraid to see too much sad news of losses and illness. I even forbid my close friends to share any updates in Covid cases in our WhatsApp group, cause it would just add more anxiety.
What’s more, I tend to avoid reading too much about anything devastating from this outbreak, and instead be more selective in choosing articles and news that’s worth spending my uplifting mental moments.
When you’re tuning in to positive news, there’s always a chance for you to discover that golden treasures that would lift your mood and feel blessed. Started with anything positive that comes out as a result of this pandemic, I dug into updates on digital literacy, government advancement on technology infrastructure in remote areas, and educators catching up with online teaching and grading skills.
But, so far the most valuable gold coin that I’ve ever found — and I’m happy to share this with you — is an article that reveals that human beings’ psychological immune system is much more resilient than most of us think.
Conducted by 3 scientists, this research aimed to compare people’s mental health before and after the pandemic. It examined nearly 1,000 studies surveying hundreds of thousands of respondents from almost 100 countries, so it somewhat reflects the global society.
I encourage you to read this piece. You’d be surprised to know the underestimated facts on people’s ability to cope with psychological distress caused by sudden changes.
Endless Efforts
While Covid is falling in numbers in some parts of the world, apparently it’s not the case in Southeast Asia. I really thought that this year the number would start to slow down, but looking at what’s happening, I came to realize and accept that this would be a long battle for us.
So, I’ll keep my fingers crossed and keep on having my mental remedies: helping others and tuning in to positive news. It may not sound a lot, but doing it regularly has given me that positive vibes that support me in keeping myself and my family happy at home — which has become critically important in these times of crisis.
