During the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 114 million people lost employment due to lockdown and restrictions that were placed on businesses worldwide. Although some restrictions have been lifted, unemployment rates are still high, leading to increases in vocational (occupational) stress.

It's never easy to take the first step in asking for help—actually, that's likely the hardest part for most. Finally holding that mirror up and taking a look at the person staring back at you can stir up various feelings, avoidance, shame, and negative self-talk. But if we look at the bigger picture, taking that first difficult step gives you an opportunity to make a change and finally take control of the direction of your life.

Symptoms of anxiety, panic, or PTSD can be overwhelming and terrifying; you may feel like you’re losing control. A panic attack or a flashback can hit you suddenly, engulfing you in a flood of distressing emotions, without any realization of what could have triggered it. In the moment, it feels like there’s no end in sight—like you’re at the mercy of your brain, which is seemingly failing you. However, there are proven techniques that can help pull you out of these paralyzing thoughts and feelings.

Changing your diet seems like an obvious solution when trying to lose/gain weight and get physically healthier, but it might not even be the third thing that comes to mind when thinking about how to feel mentally healthier. In fact, it might not even come to your mind at all! We, as a society, have accepted that the food we consume will become energy, fat, or muscle, but we don’t think any further than that. We never seem to consider that our food will be going to our brains too!

Life is beginning to resemble the plot of a sci-fi or apocalyptic film, akin to 28 Days Later or Contagion. Most of us never expected that our lives would be so disrupted by a respiratory disease. But here we are, barely out of a lockdown and very likely facing another one soon. Our lives have changed practically overnight and it doesn’t seem that things will be reverting back any time soon. If you weren’t struggling with depression or anxiety before the pandemic, you’re certainly struggling with it now. And if you were already suffering from mental health issues, then you might have noticed an exacerbation of your symptoms since this pandemic began. We all feel like we’ve lost some control in our lives, which is why I’ve come up with this list of ways to help cope during such strange times.

 It’s undeniable that social media has created an entirely new world for people to explore or escape to. It allows for people across the world to share their experiences and ideas, fostering global consciousness at a younger age (Hur & Gupta, 2013). Social media can also offer additional support and connections. You can discover people who share similar interests, offering the potential to broaden your social circle. It can also help you network or find a new career opportunity. The possibilities of social media today are almost boundless, which may be where some of its danger lies as well.