Can you believe that school is starting for many school districts? The start of a new school year was always fun and exciting for me as a child. I always got a few new outfits, a new pair of shoes and a new jacket. Then the best part was my dad taking me to Sav-on (yes, I am that old), and we would purchase my new school supplies. I can even remember the smell of the freshly sharpened pencils that I proudly put into the pencil pouch in my new notebook. However, our world has changed dramatically since then, and this year most kids will remain at home doing some version on distance learning. We know from the current global research not really surprising thorough that this pandemic is affecting our mental health in many negative ways. In our offices, we are likely seeing more people with depression, anxiety, and stress. One study conducted by Mcginty, Presskreischer, and Han from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in April 2020 found that young US adults ages (18-29) had the highest psychological distress at 24% higher than compared to the same group in 2018. Additionally, 13.8% of all US adults reported they always or often felt lonely.
I am sure that these results are not overly surprising to you. It is apparent we have community health concerns throughout the world. That also means that our communities are also reaching out more to therapists, and in turn, we must be even more diligent about our self-care and boundaries. It seems that this pandemic is not going away anytime soon, and therefore keeping a consistent schedule, watching out for excessiveness, i.e., eating, gambling, drinking, seeking consultation as needed, and maintaining friendships both personally and professionally is an absolute must. If you haven’t heard from a friend or colleague for a while, reach out to say hi. We all need a bit of encouragement from time to time. We will get through this as other generations have gotten through their trials and tribulations of their time.
Until next time, be well!
Sherry Shockey-Pope
IE-CAMFT Secretary
