The month of May is mental health awareness month in the UAE and in many other countries. As we cope with the affects of the Covid-19, albeit gradually moving forward here in the Emirates to opening up, the message of awareness is a good reminder that many, if not all, of us have faced challenges over the past year.
So many people the world over are affected by differing aspects of stress. I have been reflecting on some of those. People have lost loved ones, or watched virtually as those close to them suffered – from contracting the virus or indirectly, through the effects of global lockdowns. It makes you think how much worse it must be when the loved ones suffering are far away and you cannot visit them because of travel restrictions. All you can do, as I have done with members of my immediate family, is to wait, helplessly, for them to recover.
But there are other forms of Covid-related stress that also need acknowledgement. Many people have lost their jobs because of companies downsizing or closing down. While unemployment is always a challenge, particularly for those with families, it is more severe when prospects of finding a new job seem remote. Such circumstances can bring about a sudden descent from being able to manage, more or less, to a state of near desperation.
Last summer, when lockdowns were still relatively new, it was easier to come to terms with the disruption to our conventional way of life. Next month, the educational year draws to a close. It will be more difficult, more stressful, this year if the longed-for travel to a home country or on holiday is once again out of reach.
