Behind Our Four Walls: A Silent War of the COVID-19 Pandemic

A microscopic invader is wreaking havoc on the bodies of thousands — and the minds of billions.

Turn on the TV or tap into social media and you will immediately find around-the-clock news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. It infiltrates living rooms and media platforms — and for good reason. “These are unprecedented times; we’re in a pandemic.” But what lies beyond the media frenzy? Four walls closing in on a silent war inside our homes and inside our heads.

Yes, solid attention must be made for healthcare and essential workers who are the true heroes of this era. They have earned our most immediate support and concern during what seems to be humanity’s fight of its life, or at least its most acute expression of struggle in recent history. Honor must be had for the hundreds of thousands who are struggling to recover or will succumb to COVID-19. All eyes are on our crumbling economy and the effects we will likely see for years to come. Mixed messages from top leaders are changing concerns and causing uncertainty around the spread and threat of the virus. What is left? The people inside, abiding by stay-at-home orders that limit their freedom of a regular lifestyle, routine, and mindset. While this sacrifice is essential to our safety and worthy to follow, there is an unseen war lurking.

Humans are social creatures. We evolved largely as tribe species, living and migrating in groups, relying on connection and shared experience for survival. We were meant to be together and roaming. Isolation and stillness are not our fortes. In most societies, we are conditioned to be productive — to work, have a purpose, commute to jobs, make money, afford a living to support our families, purchase goods and travel. What has happened now is unlike anything this generation has faced before: mandated isolation and job limitations. Two identities have been stripped, leaving many of us housebound and physically secluded.

For some, home is a safe haven of emotional wellbeing and an escape from the outside world. For others, it’s four walls slowly closing in. It’s an abandonment of external factors that not only drive fulfillment, but also distract us from difficult emotions. In the worst cases, it is a terrifying and unescapable threat of abuse from a family member or a void of nourishing food or basic supplies. Even for those accustomed to life in quiet solidarity — whether working from home or living far from city centers — lack of freedom to migrate and connect is a new challenge.

Although mandates are slowly lifting, many of us lay stripped and still, unsure of the actual safety that will come with updated policies. We continue to face an inner dialogue once ironically silenced by morning traffic, conference calls, errands, gym classes and screaming children. A “new normal” at home breeds new habits: snacking out of boredom, skyrocketed screen time, sedentary spans of stopped time, possibly combined with a slight inner angst against authority. Social media perpetuates the humor in our situation, while news broadcasts scream terror. As time goes by, many of us feel worse in our bodies and become caged in our minds. It’s a new war.

However, the challenge of quarantine reveals a silver lining within an otherwise dark time in society. Isolation invites an opportunity to take inventory of our own mental health, as scary as it may seem. We are allowed space and time to dig deeper than perhaps we have before.

What is fueling our unhappiness? What haven’t we healed from? What do we want from life outside of what society deems “successful?” Why are we not fulfilled?

In other words, what are our true values and how do we build a healthy mindset without the cushion of external validation, status, and materialism? Many of us struggle in silence because of these subconscious, unanswered questions now brought to the surface with stillness.

There is no doubt this unique phase in history will be defined by medical accomplishments and stock market implications, but we must not ignore its impact on mental health. Seeking access to mental health services should be equally as “normal” as seeking care for a viral infection. Appointments with psychologists, psychiatrists, and holistic health coaches should be widespread and encouraged, not only in the healthcare system, but also throughout culture. This takes an effort from the individual at home, perhaps facing themselves for the first time, to be brave and feel safe taking care of their mental health as they would their physical health. It also takes a supportive network of family, friends and community to “flatten the curve” of normality around talking to a mental health professional. And of course, it takes policy to expand access and lower costs for services.

Any struggle in society ushers in an awakening of innovation, whether it be technological or cultural. The coronavirus pandemic has equal potential to revolutionize how we value mental health by collectively drawing more attention to and less stigma around invisible wounds. A majority of the infected will heal from COVID-19, but as governments begin to lift stay-at-home mandates, what will emerge are individuals and families who have been largely kept inside of their homes — and heads — for months. Let’s be sure to support the awakening of a new generation of support, compassion and encouragement for those struggling behind closed doors, pandemic or not.

This post was originally published on Medium (link below).