If I heard the word Pandemic, in early 2019 📅, I would have had no idea what it meant❗ I would have then gone out of my way to research it, and concluded that it was something historical or a mere fantasy. Now when I hear the word Pandemic, I know all too well what this is. Just like every single person on Earth, my wellbeing 😊 has suffered (maybe not as dramatically as many people), and yet, this year may have been the best year of my life. Don’t get me wrong, this year would win an award for being theoretically the worst year I’ve ever experienced. This year has caused so much suffering for the world, however, it’s given me the chance to learn how to be grateful for the little things in life, and I have found much more beneficial coping strategies to deal with the weight of the world. This year has made me realise that we are all in this together, and so, it shouldn’t be about one’s selfish needs, but about ensuring the wellbeing 😊 of anyone and everyone.

Disastrous Devastation – The impact:

Physical health is the most obvious aspect of our wellbeing 😊 to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For obvious reasons, this is a health crisis. The virus has affected many people’s immune systems, causing people to be physically sick and exhausted. Around 2.06 million people have died (as of 22^nd January 2021 📅) and world-wide we have reached 96.2 million cases, many of which have been affected so severely that they had to be put on a ventilator. The virus has caused huge damage to people’s lungs causing them to spend weeks on end bedridden. As a result of the ventilator, many people’s entire physical health is in a permanent decline, with long lasting ⌛ low immunity.

As death 💀 has been a huge issue due to the coronavirus pandemic, this has resulted in a decline the mental health of many people. Loss of family and friends often results in low moods, depression 😔, and anxiety. Loneliness, longing, and worry has been a devastating result of the pandemic. Many people have had to pass away alone and their family received this heart-breaking news over a phone call. To add to this, large funerals were banned, further impacting people’s mental health.

Another way our mental health has been largely impacted by the virus is our anxiety levels being elevated. The anxiety of the unknown caused us to ask many questions. Is death 💀 near? What is happening with our exams? Is the vaccine safe? When can I see my family again? When will life be normal? What’s worse is that counselling services, such as CAMHS or a visit to one’s local GP have been on hold due to the risk of entering the hospital for “non-emergency reasons” 🏥.

The lack of sleep due to anxiety 😔 and unrest leads to low immunity, and low moods. Having low immunity in the midst of a pandemic could potentially be very dangerous. Hospitals 🏥 have been over-packed with COVID patients meaning that other people can’t get the care that they need when they need it. Having low immunity makes one susceptible to contracting the virus and not handling it very well. As for low moods, this results in the further decline of one’s mental health, further lowering one’s immunity.

Due to the strain on hospitals 🏥 world-wide, people with life-long ⌛ illnesses (chronic diseases), haven’t been able to get the help they need at the times they need it. Similarly, people who have been sick have been rushed to hospitals 🏥 which are too busy, resulting in misdiagnosis and even death 💀.

Social health 👫 has also been greatly affected by the pandemic. Firstly, social distancing has made human interaction 👫 difficult, and wearing a mask makes hearing others difficult. This can result in embarrassment when people have to repeat themselves and people hard of hearing are unable to lip-read, making it difficult for them as well.

Social health has also been vastly affected world-wide due to lockdowns. In many Middle Eastern countries, children and young adults haven’t been to school since March of 2020 📅. This is extremely dangerous as statistically speaking, if children 5 and under don’t socialise they will find it more difficult to socialise for the rest of their lives. Lockdown itself, for all ages, has resulted in loneliness, isolation, depression 😔, and severe feelings of suicide all being on the rise.

Lockdown has also resulted in the closure of swimming pools, gyms, and fitness clubs 🚴. This consequently results in an increase in obesity, low immunity, and even low moods. In some countries, like the one I’m currently in, walks were even prohibited meaning our lives were forced into being sedentary. Not only is this bad for one’s health but it results in further damage to our mental health, anxiety, and low moods 😔.

Moving on to spiritual health. Many religious holidays had to be celebrated alone 👫. This further isolated people, impacting their social health and resulting in lower mental health. Religious gatherings such as the annual pilgrimage (hajj) for Muslims had to be extremely limited and religious buildings such as mosques, churches, temples, etc.were closed. This caused further isolation, and may have even impacted many people’s spiritual connections.

Some people believe the pandemic to be a sign of the end of time, causing spiritual concern and anxiety 😔. Others believe this to be a punishment from God, making them lose all hope, possibly disconnecting from their spiritual side. Some people have started to question their beliefs, wondering if a creator would make such a terrible disaster for mankind, resulting in low spirituality. Not everybody is religious, however, many of those who aren’t may have even questioned their faith in humanity or have disconnected from society 👫.

Management

A very useful website that I’ve come across is from the Hospital 🏥 my Dad works at, King Faisal Specialist Hospital And Research Centre, Riyadh. It has many useful tips to managing stress during the pandemic, how to talk to your children about the whole situation, as well as what to do if you feel you have contracted the virus. I think this has actually been quite useful in helping the people living in Saudi Arabia as it offers reliable and beneficial tips.

A strategy my family have used in order for us to communicate with each other despite being so far away, is a zoom call every Saturday. We would’ve never thought to do this without corona; therefore, I get to see them much more than one to three times yearly. Although not ideal, I have still extremely enjoyed it, and look forward to this opportunity each week.

In Ramadan (the month many Muslims around the world fast), in order to fill the void of being a very lonely one, my family and I took this as an opportunity to better ourselves as individuals. Luckily, many Muslim organisations that do inspirational speeches usually held in real life seminars, (about things like dealing with stress, depression 😔, loneliness, lack of connection to God, or even time management) did so via zoom this year. I believe this has had much more of an impact on me as a person, as I had no excuse with being busy to attend. My parents held cash prized competitions between me and my siblings to hold a speech with a lesson we learned from these seminars as to how we can take these lessons and implement them into our daily lives.

We celebrated Eid (the Muslim celebration after Ramadan) virtually and did the Eid prayer as a family in our Garden. This was by no means ideal, but at least it gave us the opportunity to celebrate.

In order to workout, I walked around my house to get my steps in, which at first was very fun, later turning into a mundane activity that I avoided at all costs. I used a broken treadmill and heavy water bottles as weights which again, was not ideal but better than nothing. I called my cousin occasionally on ‘Houseparty’ so we could work out together and keep in touch. Some days were actually fun❗ I used to watch workout videos for my workouts but I now make my own plans. This has resulted in me being the fittest and strongest I have ever been❗

The virus, in all honesty, has brought my siblings and I much closer 👫. Usually, they would be at school and I would be at home. However, since schools were closed, we have been forced to stay under the same roof for longer ⌛ than ever before. We’ve been playing things like monopoly; mafia; I have been coaching them in a workout session, and my parents sometimes join in too. We watch movies as a family more than ever before, and I feel like we have a stronger bond, and have learned about each other in ways we would have never done. Life is more relatable, as it’s a sort of “we are all in this together” situation which gives me some peace of mind. Some people have had virtual weddings, and birthdays❗ We held cooking competitions and learned new artistic skills.. However, the thought of having to do this all over again is not very appealing.

This summer,for the first time ever, I didn’t travel. The summer where I live is too hot, therefore, very isolating 👫; yes, more isolating than corona on its own is. However, due to the stress this year has caused, I was behind on a few of my subjects and therefore spent the summer revising. This paid off as I’m achieving results I could have never imagined❗ We also moved house because seeing the same walls became unbearable, and I now have my own bedroom which is amazing

Unfortunately, restrictions where I am, are once again increasing, (11^th February 2021 📅), and the things we did during the first lockdown are not so appealing this time around.

Possible Pandemic Predictions-Implications:

Physical Health

Physical Health is the most obvious aspect of one’s wellbeing 😊 to be affected by the pandemic. Potential effects include: death 💀 due to contracting the virus, permanent disabilities due to the ventilator, permanent lung damage, other non-corona-related issues due to inability to attend hospital/GP appointments 🏥, an increase in obesity levels due to a more sedentary lifestyle and over eating due to stress, low immunity and Vitamin deficiency due to not socialising. These effects will put even more strain and pressure on healthcare services and workers 🏥.

Mental Health

Mental wellbeing 😊 has also suffered during the pandemic due to the high strains and pressure it has had on everyone’s minds, from young to old people. OCD is on the rise due to obsessions with hand washing, as well as paranoia and phobias of germs and crowds. Mental health has also suffered as many people have had to deal with anxiety 😔 and stress over death 💀 and one’s own health. Furthermore, mental health isn't recognised as a priority when it becomes a battle between mental and physical health, causing many young people to suffer. There has been a rise in suicide rates due to the pandemic, as people feel their life has become meaningless, or out of their control. Due to lockdowns, many people have been forced to stay in their abusive homes all day, without any means of escapism such as school or work.

Despite the negative effects on the mental health of many people, I strongly believe that people worldwide are going to be a lot more caring and kind to others 👫. We are going to be aware of global issues, such as racism. We will be a more aware generation, that looks out and stands up for each other, no matter the colour of skin, gender, religion, and differences in beliefs.

Social Health

After days, weeks, and months of social distancing, many people around the world are going to face difficulty socialising 👫. The thought of other people possibly having the virus may frighten some people. For others, social anxiety 😔 may be on the rise, as they forget how to socialise. This is particularly prevalent to people who were already on a journey of becoming more extroverted, however, being forced back to their ways due to the pandemic. It is thought that if a child hasn't been socialising by the time they are 5 years old, they will find socialising difficult for their whole life 👫. As I am in Saudi Arabia, schools have been closed since last March, meaning many young people and children alike haven't been socialising since then, which may result in a more withdrawn generation to come.

On the positive side, we may find we are more grateful for the people we have. There may be less bullying at schools and work places and more kindness towards others which is always a good thing.

Spiritual Health

Some people have taken this time to better their relationship with God. Some people believe this virus to be a result of God being displeased with us; some believe it is a sign that life on Earth is going to end; others have started to question their beliefs.

Management of the above

Physical Health could be managed by the government putting money in health care systems to ensure more people are able to be seen. In addition, people could volunteer to help their local hospitals 🏥 out.

Mental and Spiritual Health for young people, could be managed by creating a compulsory lesson on every individual’s time tables, to teach them about wellbeing 😊 and mindfulness.

Social Health, could be managed by encouraging socialising for their children. Teachers could also be trained in how they can implement social skills in every lesson to eliminate any possible negative impact the pandemic has had on children and young people’s social skills.

Conclusion:

The pandemic has not gone away, and yet, I have had the best years of my life, as I have honestly done so much. I’ve learned how to paint, I see my family much more regularly, I’ve learned to be patient and grateful for what I have. However, like anyone else, I’ve noticed daily the news seems to worsen, and the idea of getting out of this seems unrealistic. I do greatly miss my family, and now I even miss the gym. Hopefully we can get out of this. But as a take away I’m glad this one thing has become a new habit, every night before I sleep, I look back and notice my blessings; as blessing forgotten are blessings lost.

By Noor Elabd

Useful articles, for reference:

1. BBC News. 2021. Covid: The devastating toll of the pandemic on children - BBC News. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55863841.
2. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre: Managing stress https://www.kfshrc.edu.sa/en/home/covid/managingstress
3. Coronavirus: The possible long-term mental health impacts. [online] Bbc.com. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201021-coronavirus-the-possible-long-term-mental-health-impacts