It all started with a new year, a new decade, and some hopes and dreams. Then there were fires, World War 3, and finally a Pandemic. All our hopes and dreams were shattered before we can even realize what the hell is going on.

We’re now in lockdown. Sweet.

The silver lining, however, was that the world would change after the pandemic. It has to. Right?

Well, not so much!

The reality is, the world got worse. A lot worse. From seeing the most influential countries in the world crumble because of how little the cared about people’s health, to face with the unknown, to losing loved ones, to losing jobs, and losing a sense of who you are in the lockdown.

It’s clear by now that there will be a more significant pandemic, which is mental health. But with very little care and concern from most about COVID, will anyone care about post-pandemic mental health issues? Probably not.

In most countries, Egypt included, mental health issues are still overlooked. Those dealing with PTSD are told to either “man up”, or “pray it away.” And with COVID affecting the whole world, I’m sure “you’re not the only one dealing with this” will be added to the dictionary too.

Posttraumatic stress disorder  (PTSD): A mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event. In this case, the pandemic.

If you google pandemic stress, you’ll find a good o’l PSA from WHO giving you a few tips on how to deal with the situation.

If you ask to see more info, you’ll be directed to the WHO website where you’ll find audio files to help through the pandemic. From general tips, to exercise. The tips are alright, but unfortunately, unrealistic. At least to our Egyptian society.

While I’m not a professional, and by that I mean I am far from being a credible source, I can tell you that we’re all fucked. At least for the time being.

Now I don’t mean that in a discouraging way. I don’t. But we need to understand that this is not an individual thing; many people all over the world share the same feelings. Those who didn’t stress at all during the pandemic have something wrong with them.

I’m not saying we all should’ve panicked and hoarder all these toiled papers, but in a weird fucked up way, it is healthy to at least stress.

Like I said earlier, many people share the same feelings as you do. The best thing you can do is to seek professional help. Can’t do that? Find a support group online. There are several; take Reddit, for instance,/r/COVID19_support.

Think of it as any crisis that happened in your life. Remember when you had this nasty breakup? What did you do then? Do the same thing, but with more intensity.

It’s okay to remain stressed, even after the pandemic. Just don’t stress over-stressing!