HS2212 UNIT8 LJ

1. The COVID-19 outbreak brought me significant life changes and severe stress. The COVID-19 pandemic started just before I graduated from high school. I had high hopes for my future, having a fun student life with my friends and my future job at that time. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has robbed me of all those hopes. I am very stressed because of "uncertainty or frustration about how long you will need to remain in this situation, and uncertainty about the future" (SAMHSA, 2020, p.1), as well as anxiety and worry about my health. I actually contracted COVID-19 at work in February of this year and was quarantined. My symptoms were mild, but I worried if I would get worse, I also felt lonely because I lived alone and had no one to help me. I was angry at my boss, who infected me without wearing a mask even though he was feeling unwell, and after being infected, I started avoiding him unconsciously. In addition, the price increase of groceries and personal care items that occurred simultaneously is sometimes challenging to secure things I need for me who live without family (SAMHSA, 2020). 

Those stresses and problems are still unresolved, but I am dealing with them well. As SAMHSA recommends, connecting to others is helped me a lot in dealing with this situation (2020). I connected with many foreign friends using text messaging, and social media. It was an excellent way to relieve loneliness and boredom, and at the same time, it helped me to have positive thoughts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned a new language and found a new dream through interaction with my friends. 

2. "Solitude" affects us physically and mentally. Johal described, "Being in quarantine and remaining at home has farreaching consequences, including loss of intimacy and social contact, culminating in physical and psychological isolation" (2009, p.2). If we have a family, communicate with them frequently, if we do not have a family, we need to keep in touch with people in our neighborhood and even also online. It does not have to be an acquaintance. Viewing crises as opportunities and staying positive protects us from depressive symptoms such as alcohol and drug abuse and sleep and eating disorders (SAMHSA, 2020). Also, if we take accurate information about the disease and correctly recognize and manage risks, we can avoid unnecessary anxiety and confusion (SAMHSA, 2020).

3.When COVID-19 first broke out, the rumor spread in Japan that COVID-19 was a biological weapon that eroded the human brain and destroyed people all over the world, and videos have spread virally, showing people in China suddenly collapsing on the street and dying. This is the current situation that occurred before COVID-19 entered Japan. When the first confirmed cases were confirmed in Japan, people were terrified. In the end, even in Japan, the spread of infection could not be controlled, and a large-scale pandemic occurred. When a remote threat suddenly becomes a local reality, the most important thing is to assess the facts calmly. We must make objective judgments based on scientific evidence without getting emotional. It means judging the facts as they are without judging the situation more seriously or as trivial than the facts. It's not wise to let our imagination run wild when we do not have enough information. It does not reduce the risk but instead makes us impossible to make calm judgments and respond appropriately.




References
Johal, S. S. (2009). Psychosocial impacts of quarantine during disease outbreaks and interventions that may help to relieve strain. THE NEW ZEALAND MEDICAL JOURNAL. Retrieved from https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/publications/Psychosocial-impacts-of-quarantine.pdf 

SAMHSA. (2020).  Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak. SAMHSA. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/SAMHSA_Digital_Download/PEP20-01-01-007_2.pdf