Every time anyone turns on the national news, they become flooded with negativity and messages of doom and gloom over the COVID-19 pandemic. This can cause many people to become depressed, and potentially give up on life itself.
We spoke with Dr. Stacey Soeldner, a Psychologist at Riverhill Psychological Associates in Manitowoc, and she said that the healthiest thing to do is simply turn the TV off. She did say there is nothing wrong with wanting to remain informed with what is going on in your community, but “To have this turned on 24/7, and watching it like the OJ Simpson trial, I think that’s just a little unhealthy.”
Dr. Soeldner does completely understand the fear and other emotions that are going through people’s heads. “There’s a lot of anger out there,” She told SeehaferNews.com. “People are angry and very nervous. I would say the anxiety is the number one…People are gonna start to get antsy and wanting to do things.”
She does advise following the orders given down from the national, state, and local authorities, but also to find different activities to do to break up the monotony, such as calling those people you haven’t spoken with in a while, finding a new in-home hobby, exercise, walk around the block or anything to keep your mind clear. In her case, Dr. Soeldner said, “I don’t know about you, but my kitchen is the cleanest it has ever been, and probably ever will be.”
Some people have been voicing concern online for people that are in abusive relationships, and how they are going to deal with that. Soeldner said that people can still be advocating for themselves because places such as InCourage are still open in one way or another. Stacey is emphasizing that people should not feel the need to stay in a bad situation, saying “Make sure you are advocating for yourself and getting those resources if you need them.”
Another group of people that Soeldner is concerned about are those who struggle with substance abuse. She said the best we can do is be there for them and try to help them stay off of the drugs and/or alcohol, but a big problem is the people that were on the fringe of drinking too much before this pandemic. “One of the things that jobs do for us, is we have to be sober going to work,” she explained. “All those people who maybe push the envelope now, I think are going to be given a card to drink more.”
The Psychologist is also concerned about the overall health of people that do overindulge. She said, “The more that we are going to indulge in an unhealthy lifestyle, the more susceptible we are going to be to this virus and any other cold and any other junk.”
Dr. Soeldner said that the only way people are going to get through this in a healthy way is if they can look at themselves and say that they are sick and tired of being miserable, and then go find a way to change their outlook on life.
