Mental Health During A Pandemic

Hey Guys,

It’s been a while. In fact, longer than I would have liked. I know Jen made a few posts and I even wrote some, but never published them. I have been in a slump for longer than I would like to admit.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my life, so when it hits, it seems like a normal routine for me. I just “go with the flow” until it’s over. It seems like everyone deals with it so I am sure if you are reading this you know someone who does or you do, too. Getting help is expensive and my insurance doesn’t cover ANYTHING. It sucks.

I haven’t posted anything since August. At first it was because I was coming to the close of planning a wedding. I didn’t really pick up any books, but I did listen to audiobooks while I was at work, and even then, it wasn’t very many. I think I just listened to YouTube drama channels while working during the months of September through now. All the audiobooks I did listen to I randomly stopped and never went back to finish them.

I tried to challenge myself to a reading challenge in October. I’m laughing at myself now because that was my wedding month and then we went immediately on our honeymoon. Get this: I even brought a book on vacation. In Disney. HA! What was I thinking? I read the first page. That was it.

It was November when everything settled down, but that’s the start of the holidays and of course, seasonal depression. Since January I think I’ve read 2 books. And now, we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

I know that you’re all probably sick of hearing about COVID-19/Corona Virus. I’m not going to discuss it other than: Stay home, practice social distancing, and WASH YOUR HANDS.

During this time, I have been working from home and I started playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Since I am not a huge Animal Crossing fan, I picked up the game about a week late. I got addicted for a few days, but like always, I haven’t been on for a little bit since I lost interest. Maybe this weekend I’ll go back to it. But yes, I lost interest because my mental health declined. Really hard. I keep telling myself that we will be fine and that this is something I can’t control, but at a certain point, that doesn’t cut it any longer. So I made a poor financial decision, but a good decision for my mental health. I caved in and signed up for Book of the Month.

Book of the Month was something I wanted to sign up for about a year ago, but I just couldn’t justify the monthly cost. Now that my gym isn’t charging us a monthly fee, I said “F**k it” and signed up. I must admit, it was partially due to seeing a cover of a book in my Facebook book group. Signing up for BOTM and buying 2 books I wanted was so much cheaper than buying the books anywhere else, even Amazon.

Since signing up (on Tuesday), I picked up a book and I’m so close to finishing it. I am so excited to get the 2 books I ordered. It’s putting me in a better mood because I have something to look forward to. Not only that, I’m looking at my To Be Read pile to see what other books I have been putting off, which are many.

I will definitely post about my subscription box, how I feel about it, and what I got (if anything extra was sent). I will also read the books I got and post a review of them and any other book I read.

I wouldn’t suggest you putting yourself further into financial debt, but I do suggest you find something that will rekindle your love of a hobby you’ve been slacking off on. It’s hard, I know it really is, but I believe in you. You can do it! If I can do it, you can, too.

What do you want to get back into? Have you found a new hobby? Comment something you learned during this pandemic quarantine. Please remember that we all are going through this and you are not alone.

-K.