We’re not going to pretend that COVID-19 has been easy for anyone. The Economist called the coronavirus a ‘worldwide collective trauma’, citing everything from bereavement, to loss of faith, to plans being cancelled as the cause. We’ve collated here a few things to help you take stock of where you are and how you feel, so you can learn how to negotiate your mental health through this difficult time.
Aristotle said that human beings are political animals. He didn’t mean that in the sense that we all want to wear suits and debate in parliament, but instead was using the older form of politic, the one we find in metropolitan, and polis. It means to be around people, in a town or city. We need community to feel healthy and whole, which is why COVID has been such a difficult time for people separated from friends and family. Today’s article is going to be all about how to feel that sense of community, if you’re shielding at home away from loved ones, or if your family aren’t really people that you can talk to at a time like this. We get it!
Shimagurashi is a Japanese app that’s available for iPhone and Android that simulates living on a desert island somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Every day, bottles appear on your island, and you can read the messages in them, pass them on, or even reply. It’s a really calming, soothing sensation as you go through the bottles one by one, reading what strangers feel like sending out into the world. The messages can range from the benign (“The best days are the ones where you drink sake like vegetable juice!”) to the serious (“I am lonely tonight and miss my cat very much.”). Either way, the app makes you feel connected to another human being out there, just for a moment.
If you’d like a more serious connection, Slowly is an app that simulates having a penpal. The letters are longform, and take longer to arrive depending on where in the world your penpal is. They can be randomised, or you can hunt manually through the different interests public profiles have, to collect stamps from across the globe and meet new friends. It’s nice to have something to look forward to every week when your letters all arrive from your new friends around the planet.
More seriously, if you are really struggling and need immediate help with someone to talk to, the website Seven Cups of Tea is an online and free therapy site. People volunteer to talk to you and listen to your problems, offering advice or support, much like a group of friends would in real life. These people come to your situation unbiased and ready to help. Additionally, there is also a paid option, where you can speak to a licensed counsellor online too. Remember, this is a difficult time for everybody, and you no less so. Ask for the help that you deserve!
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