Finding positives has been challenging given the environment we are all in currently. Not only that but being a blogger in the Anxiety space makes it doubly so. That said we have a few silver linings here. One of them is that more and more people are talking about anxiety issues. Specifically many outlets have been featuring pieces on Anxiety and Depression as it pertains to the isolation conditions we are in now.
Last post I showed you an example of a negative media portrayal of anxiety. Here is a positive.
From the article: “In fact, that’s exactly what I want to talk about: anxiety and other mental health conditions that untold millions of individuals deal with every day— conditions that can affect their job performance, physical wellbeing and personal happiness. These sometimes-debilitating conditions existed long before COVID-19 enveloped the planet—and they’ll exist long after the virus is tamed and life, to some degree, starts returning to normal.”
This is great news, the narrative is beginning to emerge that mental illness has to be addressed in the present. Yes we have had events occur that have pushed this narrative before to little result but this pandemic is affecting everyone. Sadly, I suspect as this drags on more and more people are going to develop anxiety disorders, or reveal ones they already had.
The silver lining here is the more light that is shone on the issue the broader acceptance it receives and under normal conditions positive outcomes occur. I often come back to economics when I give examples but this is similar to a demand side issue. When things get back to normal, there will be higher demand for anxiety related services.
For those of us who have suffered with it for years that equates to more options at some point in the future as supply of service catches up. I think you will see far more resources devoted to helping people with anxiety from private instructions. Employers in particular would likely want to have a robust mental health benefits package to ensure productivity of staff and place people in positions to be successful.
We have ample resources (albeit not perfect) to deal with regular physical malady that people get. We need a bit of a catch up for mental health issues and this pandemic might be the catalyst that does it. Ya I’m feeling optimistic today, things will get better, you are doing awesome, one day at a time.
