Last updated 5/14/2021 at 8:04am
As we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, a recent study by the American Psychological Association found that 3 in 4 Americans say that the pandemic is a significant source of stress in their lives. Millions of people have lost loved ones, have become ill themselves, or have lost significant sources of income. Feelings of exhaustion, irritability, and mental fogginess are our bodies' normal response to the trauma of pandemic life. Dr. Jessica Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis, said "after this long, most people have had some degree of anxiety, depression, trauma, something." Some have lost our sense of direction or meaning, lost in questions of our own identity and purpose. Others may be lost in the depths of grief and despair. We may be lost in broken relationships, dysfunctional family systems, a loveless marriage. We may be blind to the wonder, beauty, and mystery of life. We may be lost in fear and worry. We may be lost in a secret life that is self-destructive and hurts others.