How to Get Into a Better Headspace if the Current State of the World Has You Down
Hi and welcome to our How to Put Your Life Back Together series, i.e. good advice for post-pandemic times. Explore more here, or click the "next story" button at the bottom of this one.
We'll start with anxiety: According to a Cosmo poll, 52 percent of millennial women who suffer from the mental health condition say it's gotten worse due to COVID-19, while 32 percent who never experienced anxiety before have now developed it. Depression, loneliness, and stress, are also on the rise. Leading mental health experts share their advice.
Do I need therapy therapy?
Anyone can benefit from talking to a professional, but if you’re feeling really low, it might be time to prioritize it. Jennifer Mann, a psychotherapist in New York City, created a quiz to help you gauge where you’re at:
Have you had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep in the past few weeks?
Do you catch yourself obsessing over getting sick?
Are you constantly worried about worst-case scenarios?
Have you been feel-ing hopeless lately, to the point where everything—work, friends, future plans—feels pointless?
Are you disinterested in things you normally enjoy?
Have you been ignoring friends and family?
Do you have increased feelings of anxiety, sadness, oranger?
Have you started changing your behaviors out of fear?
Your results:
Did you answer yes to more than two of the above? If so, Mann says now is the time to consider talking to someone. Nothing is “wrong” with you, but it’s been a rough few months, and you deserve to focus on yourself.
Now, here's how to find the right kind of therapy for you.
All The Other Health Stuff You Should Deal With Once You're Out And About Again
Right now
Book a massage, acupuncture session, or facial.
No explanation needed.
Fairly soon
Schedule an appointment with your primary care doc.
Now's a good time to check in on your overall health and figure out if there's anything pressing you should be dealing with ASAP.
Do it within three months
Get to your derm and your gyno.
Just because your skin hasn't seen the sun and you swore off Hinge for a minute doesn't mean you should put these off.
Do it within six months
See the dentist (and an eye doctor if you need one).
You should be getting your teeth cleaned twice a year, so it's probably about that time. And if you wear glasses, a visit to your doc is a good idea to see if you're ready for a new prescription thanks to all that screen time.
So is this just who we are now?
If you picked up a quarantine habit or five, Sara Kuburic (aka the Millennial Therapist) created a formula to help you decide which ones you should keep and which ones need to go.
Art by David Stenbeck. Courtesy of Jenn Singer Gallery.
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