Howdy SAM. I feel badly even writing this, simply all of this conversation about COVID-19 is depressing me. And I mean that clinically… I stimulate major depressive disorder, and things are granitic sufficient already.

This epidemic is making me feel much worsened, and I just need to tune IT KO'd for a while — but that seems so… insensitive? Am I wrong for just needing to ignore IT for a spell?

Here's a play fact for you: Just this last week alone, I've standard dozens of emails asking more or less the exact same question.

Thusly if this makes you a bad person? There are a lot of crappy hoi polloi out thither right now.

Let's address the much basic part of your question maiden: Are you a bad person for needing to disconnect for a while? Non at all.

When we live with any kind of mental health status, it's very important to set boundaries around social media, the tidings cycles/second, and the conversations we tooshie and can't take at some given time.

This becomes especially important when something traumatic is happening on a global scale.

I think social group media has created a kind of pressure where people feel that if they unplug from what's happening in the world, IT makes them complacent or egotistic.

I don't think that fetching a step back up is complacency, though. I believe that having rugged boundaries around issues that spark us emotionally is what allows United States of America to show up for ourselves and others in healthier, more impactful shipway.

That's ego-compassion… and the majority of us could use a quite a little more of that in our lives.

I also want to upright validate how you're feeling. Weeks into this epidemic, so many of us are burning kayoed. And this makes a good deal of sense!

As I unpacked in my antecedent grief article, many of us are experiencing some serious fatigue and dysregulation brought connected away chronic, pervasive stress. And if you're someone living with Great Depression? That jade is in all probability going to flavor a lot heavier.

So the Atomic number 81;DR of this? Don't apologize for taking precaution of yourself, my friend. That's exactly what you're improbable to personify doing right today.

Atomic number 3 long as you're still being mindful of your impact along others (wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, not stockpiling toilet paper that you don't call for, not blocking dealings because you'ray mad that you can't drive your hair cut or go to Olive Garden, etc.), I wouldn't worry about it.

That aforesaid, hither's something else I noticed about your question: You heavy pretty depressed.

And if you're thinking, "Duh, Surface-to-air missile! I have depression and thither's a pandemic! Of course I'm depressed!" I'd like to ask you to pump the brakes for a bit and hear me out.

Sure, yes, it makes a lot of sense that you'd be feeling treated out and concave about the state of the world. Still so, when life gets tough — regardless of the reasons why — we merit back up to get through it.

And I'd say that when we starting time noticing our mental wellness taking a stumble? Information technology's always a blast to check in with a mental health professional.

I'm walk that manner of walking, past the room. My head-shrinker accumulated the dose of my antidepressant just this morning. I'm right there thereon struggle bus with you.

Because yes, a global pandemic is scary and difficult. But I dismiss build up myself against my depression aside making sure I have all the proper support around me, which sometimes includes adjusting the dose of my medication.

There's a difference between grieving the state of the world and gift our psychopathy a free pass to harassment us. You know what I mean?

Rationalizing your depression doesn't mean you're not low, and it certainly doesn't mean you assume't necessitate help.

One piece of heavy advice that I heard recently on the Shine podcast was that, rather than thinking of this as the "new normal," we can think of it as the "newly in real time" instead.

So, reader, if in that "new now" you find yourself more downhearted than usual? Meet yourself where you'ray at and mother some extra support.

Taking each day as IT comes is the best I cerebrate any of us can get along right now.

And it sounds like now, you're having a hard meter. And so rather than writing off the significance of those feelings or trying to cope by checking out, how about we speak them channelise-on? Something to consider.

Reader, if taking care of yourself makes you "bad" somehow? I Bob Hope you're bad to the swot. If there were ever a time to habitus a blanket fort and shut the rest of the reality for a patc, I'd say the time is emphatically now.

Surface-to-air missile Dylan Finch is a author, positive psychology practitioner, and media strategist in Portland, Oregon. He's the lead editor of psychogenic health and chronic conditions at Healthline, and CO-father of Queer Resilience Collective, a wellness coaching cooperative for LGBTQ+ people. You can state howdy on Instagram, Chitter, Facebook, or learn to a greater extent at SamDylanFinch.com.

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