I caught the COVID-19 bug but not the virus

For a couple of months, I noticed that I had become lethargic, constantly tired, rather forgetful & could promise to call back or visit but totally forget; or would start going somewhere & forget where I was heading.

Worse, when I am reminded, it wouldn’t really bother me as much as it normally would. I started getting concerned that I had become “too” aloof, uncaring and unemotional! I say “too” because I have consciously trained myself to be quite detached and I thought I had overdone it and now become totally detached! But that wasn’t the case at all!

On many days, getting through the day takes me 10x the normal effort and energy. This meant that doing basic stuff became so tedious and because I am expending so much energy, I get unusually tired and every task/activity seems like an undue burden. This made me procrastinate to unhealthy levels and with the forgetfulness, over time, I end up not getting anything done. In having discussions with various people, I noticed that I wasn’t as alone in this issue as I had thought! It wasn’t just me!

Have you noticed that you have significantly less drive than a year ago? Do you feel lethargic? Were you an early riser a year ago but now find yourself content lazing around in bed? Does it take you days to respond to emails or phone calls you would normally have done in minutes? Are you exceptionally tired? Do you find yourself wondering “is it worth being here at all?”

I’ve gone through all these & more & realized that these are the side effects of the consequences of our response to covid. This is what I mean by “catching the covid19 bug but not being infected with corona virus”!

So what do I mean by the “Covid19 bug”?

The whole world reacted in extreme panic to the discovery of Covid19 and in that panic, took measures to keep everyone informed and protected. The consequence of that was:

a) Overload of information that was all negative and death laden. Though 99 of 100 will survive covid, the news focused entirely on the 1 that died so it seemed as though everyone who caught it died!

b) Limitation of physical interactions and increase in impersonal activities (this affects humans far more then we can imagine).

c) Lockdown and extended periods of physical and social isolation.

d) Financial trauma to many people from the economic downturn.

e) Increased insecurity.

In physics, increased velocity means increased impact & the combination of all these, or any combination of them, along with what I call “velocity of news” by social media meant that the same news hitting you from multiple points multiple times will have a much higher psychological impact than if you heard it just once or twice!

According to a BBC Article, Increased Divorce rates divorce rates in many countries have already been much higher since covid and yes, it is one of the effects of the “covid bug”; and the sad news is that it will get worse as many of us will have delayed reactions.

In this part of the world, as we do not believe in actively seeking nor discussing our mental health, we can expect that more people will succumb to the “covid bug” with symptoms of detachment, lethargy, increased temper, increased impatience, significant changes in eating habits, increase in suicidal ideations and increase in a general sense of hopelessness and helplessness. The “covid bug” is a deteriorating condition, which means that ignoring it makes it worse, and the symptoms I mentioned will likely intensify.

For our society as a whole, this can lead to increase in ills like rape, murders, robberies and other crimes. The “covid bug” is a widespread deterioration of mental health whose impact will depend on how well you had previously taken care of your mental health.

So, the same way if you had been taking good care of your health, you are more likely to recover quickly from an illness compared to someone who hadn’t. Individual impact varies as does progression but we have all underestimated the aftermath of the lockdown!

So what have I done?

I met with my coach and once I realized that this wasn’t unique to me and there are so many of us with the exact same symptoms, starting immediately, I am actively working on boosting certain hormones Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphins, Oxytocin by:

i. Starting a daily exercise routine

ii. Including certain fruits to my daily meals

iii. Deliberately engaging in activity to boost creativity#

iv. Deliberately engaging in activity to boost empathy

v. Deliberately checking on people even when I don’t feel like

vi. Deliberately cutting down on social media & news channels

vii. Watching more comedies

viii. Listening to upbeat songs

ix. Cutting off toxic people

Since we are all suffering in ways most don’t understand, it’s important to find a coach or a mental health professional

So, I implore everyone to understand that, if you have any of the symptoms I mentioned, you will need to take extra effort to secure your mental health and you have to realise that it isn’t unique to you nor is it the fault of the people that seem to be aggravating you!

The impact from the people we lost, the relationships lost, the jobs/business opportunities lost, the lack of human contact, lack of hugs, restricted socializing and all the emotional trauma we’ve been through has a much slower yet longer lasting effect on us so. If you notice you are suddenly more irritated with your partner, job, parents, siblings, children etc or if you are told you are more impatient, less understanding, less active, then this is a classic case of “it’s not you, it’s me!!” Take it seriously and do your best not to be unnecessarily defensive.

You may even find yourself exhibiting Covid19 symptoms yet when you test, there’s nothing! These environmental & situational stressors can confuse the mind to exhibit the negativity around us. The effects & consequence of the “Covid19 bug” will outlive the covid infection

But if you join me in doing the things I’ve listed as well as avoiding the stressors, you’ll start to notice mood and attitude improvements in just a few days. Also, read more and refrain from needing to give an answer or opinion to everything, it’ll help a lot too

Arakaiwe is a Lagos-based financial advisor