According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), over 21 million Americans are affected by mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder. Through its large network, the organization aims to create a community in over 600 support groups and make extensive resources accessible to help those coping with these disorders.
The news notifications and throwback posts on your phone have most likely reminded you that today is the first full year since America has entered what we’ve been experiencing as the pandemic. This time last year, the news took a complete 180 and events quickly started shutting down, spring breaks were extended to figure out what to do about classes, and there was just a general confusion as to what was happening as updates and changes seemed to dropping every other minute.
The past month has been difficult for me with new mental health symptoms, diagnoses, and medications. Because of my new symptom of fluctuating between having very little energy or motivation and then feeling very motivated and over-confident, my health care team has assigned me the task of completing a daily mood tracker.
It’s impossible to be in control of our emotions all the time. After all, we’re only human, and we react to things in different ways as they happen, whether we want to or not. We may get overly excited about something we’re passionate about during a time when it’s probably not the most appropriate, or we might find ourselves getting a little too heated when someone insults someone close to us.
I recently came across and read an NPR article addressing the acceptability of grieving from the pandemic. The article was written last year, on March 26th, so for many people like myself, very early in the pandemic.
Now is a sensitive time more than ever. Current events are revealing the issues with the systems that have been in place in our society for not just the past few years, but for decades and centuries, and how these issues have been affecting certain groups more than others. The Internet and social media giving platforms to experts and those who have been affected have made it easier for them to educate and tell others why things are so difficult and how drastic the effects are for minority groups. You most likely have seen these kinds of posts on Instagram and twitter presented in colorful graphics with easy and simple to read text and pictures.
I’ve always grew up being the kid who was good at everything. I always was praised for being the kind, helpful, smart little kid. Though these adjectives would occasionally boost my ego, they also had consequences. Once I had started to truly listen to these high praises, their words established an effect on me. I began believing that if I wasn’t always the perfect child at everything, I wouldn’t be loved anymore. I thought that I needed to always be the best, and while a hardworking mindset can be great, it hurt my self-esteem.
Music is a part of the human psyche. Cavemen banged together stones rhythmically and vocalized. Music has evolved a lot since then and is constantly evolving.
You’ve probably seen a few posts and memes leading up to today pointing out that March is approaching once again. And now that it’s here, you might be experiencing a shock to your system upon realizing that it’s almost officially a year since “these unprecedented times” began.
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