Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Overcoming Depression from Coronavirus



Many people complain of depression due to the (Corona 19) situation, which has lasted longer than expected. Even in a situation where it is not easy to continue the external religious life, those stuck at home are increasing, and new conflicts and problems within raise their heads. For peace in the family, the Catholic newspaper met the director of the Anger Management Research Institute, to find out how to overcome (corona depression) in a healthy way.

 Everyone is going through a frustrating and difficult period. In particular, the family where the most time is spent, parents are having difficulty as parents and children as children.

Corona Blue begins with a sense of loss caused by the rapid increase in the number of corona19 confirmed patients, which was expected to decrease, a catalyst for depression. As the situation persists when you can't do big or small things, you become irritable, and this irritation leads to stress.

The director diagnosed the main reasons for depression in three major ways. The first is because one feels trapped. One lived freely in an open space but now feels frustrated and cautious even about leaving the house.

Next, it's because of the tension about a situation you never experienced before. The world has changed. Anyone in an unfamiliar situation becomes nervous, and this situation has continued for half a year causing irritation and stress.

The last reason is the sudden increase in home chores while preparing three meals. Consequently, housewives suffer the most stress, and the mother's stress is transmitted to their children.

"We have lost our daily routine," said the director. "Depression is related to sadness, and it is similar to the feeling of losing what we cherish. The hopeless vagueness about the ending of the pandemic brings a feeling of depression as well as physical exhaustion."

“Are you having a hard time?” When we believe that we are alone with problems then the family becomes a battlefield. It is a societal problem and must remain so.

The director has been dealing with family problems since 1998. He pointed out that most of the problems among families in which the relationship is not good are because of anger. He emphasized the need for empathy in communication.

"Corona 19 is paradoxically purifying our lives; it is necessary to think about what we say to  each other, rather than living as you please at home."
 

He explained that just accepting the fact that everyone is struggling through this period is comforting.  He added the physical distancing remains but we are in this together and when we hear of a person infected we don't ask 'why'? but  'how'? to heal and overcome the infection in the future.

Director Lee emphasized, "You must love one another." "This is the age of love and harmony." In I Peter 4:8 we hear:  "Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins."  We must not forget that we are all weak children of God filled with dignity. Our enemy is Corona 19. The people who love Corona 19 are those that want disorder.”

The last problem to overcome is to maintain your daily life. When the director opens his eyes in the morning, he gives thanks for his health and prays: "Give me the courage to calmly, even if I am unintentionally infected, to go along with my life as before."

It is not without a change in his daily life. The number of activities, lectures, and counseling, etc. to meet people due to Corona 19 decreased. Instead, the time he spent walking and time with his wife increased. "My income has decreased, but my relationship with my wife has improved," he said with a confident smile. "The sugar level also went down."

Finally, the secret of “Sodeska” (“is that so” in Japanese) is effective for dealing with angry people was also mentioned. When someone gets angry, it is a way to take a break by saying "Sodeska~".

“Life becomes a lot less difficult when you learn how to handle emotions well. All conflicts arise not from the situation, but because of our attitude towards the situation.”