It has been nearly a year since we have been living our regularly scheduled lives. A year of disruption for an adult can seem daunting enough, but for children and youth it can sometimes seem endless.
Although some studies have seen a decline in the initial COVID19 anxiety, Kids Help Phone reports hundreds of teens are still calling and texting the service every day to talk about ongoing mental health struggles they are experiencing*.
Youth anxiety may have started to subside as living with COVID19 continues but the frustration, anger, grief, and hopelessness seems to be on the rise. ‘Pandemic fatigue’ is setting in heavy amongst our youth. The Centre for Addition and Mental Health (CAMH) carried out a survey specifically focused on the pandemic. Their survey, with 600 youth and young adult participants, found that young people perceive their mental health to have deteriorated since the beginning of the COVID19**.
Teens are social creatures. Although it may have appeared like teens were already glued to their phones before COVID19, the novelty of doing everything online has faded for most. I hear it frequently from the local youth I work with in the community, they are tired of doing everything online! They miss spending time with one another. They miss hugging their friends, their school environment, and spending time with extended family.
For ten months teens have had to give up or change summer get togethers, team sports, birthday and graduation parties, vacations, and holiday gatherings. How they attend school and interact with their closest pals has changed. With nearly constant COVID19 uncertainty as well as an unknown ‘end date’ to pandemic protocols, it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
If you are a teen dealing with feelings of anxiety, anger, or hopelessness about COVID19, I’d like to share some resources and wisdom that might be helpful, starting with the fantastic information found on www.jack.org.
Some other tips that might be of value, even just a little:
· Write it out! Sometimes thoughts and feelings can cycle in our brain endlessly. Writing your thoughts and emotions down on paper can sometimes help to make things more clear and more manageable.
· If you can, spend some time out in nature everyday. This might be as simple as a 5-minute walk around the block or sitting on your back deck breathing in the cool, fresh air. Being out in a natural environment tends to have a calming effect.
· While you’re out on your back deck, close your eyes and take three deeeeeeeeeeep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth.
· Take time to tune-out. The information about COVID19 is constant and can be overwhelming. Feel free to take a break from the news or any information that is negatively impacting your mental health.
· If you are needing to get your daily dose of COVID19 information, try to stick to reliable sources like Public Health Canada or the World Health Organization.
· It’s okay to be not okay! Give yourself permission to feel grief, loss, frustration, etc. if that is where you are at. It’s a pandemic; nobody really has it all together.
· Please know that you’re not alone. If you’re struggling with your mental health and you feel like you need some extra help, please visit any or all of the great resources below.
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