I Had Nothing Left to Say. Then Came COVID-19.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, deciding there was nothing left to say about life with OCD, depression and anxiety. I learned to live with it, accepted that ups and downs would be part of the journey (they have been) and saw others stepping up to share their challenges in powerful fashion.

So I departed, leaving the blog online for those who might get use from it. My work here was done.

The unprecedented anxiety and fear over COVID-19 has compelled me to return for two reasons:

1. Rationality is in short supply. People either crudely dismiss the dangers of a virus the world has never seen before or they go into full freak-out, predicting another Great Depression and millions upon millions of deaths. Those of us in the middle need to speak up.
2. I’ve haven’t curled up into a ball. I should be doing my part to be there for those who aren’t handling this as well.

I’m very concerned about the pandemic. Not about the virus itself, which so far appears mild for most who catch it, but about the economic chaos that comes with it — with everything getting cancelled, the stock market doing barrel rolls and the prospect of a health-care system overrun with panicked or seriously ill people.

But I don’t see an apocalypse. The economy, battered as it may be, isn’t fundamentally broken as it was during the financial meltdown of 2008, when credit froze and companies went under en mass. This is a forced slowdown as people make what I see as the right decisions, cancelling sporting events, business travel, conferences and everything in between.

The storm will pass, in large part because in our hour of danger, good people step up and help their family, friends and neighbors. We’re seeing plenty of that already.

That is, however, cold comfort to those who suffer from depression, anxiety and other instances of mental adversity.

If you thrive on activity and, for example, travel the world on business, the cancellation of well-laid plans will surely be a depressing thing. I’ve had to scrub two business trips planned for the next two months, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t phase me. A friend has had to cancel a lot more than I have and admitted that a wave of depression was one result.

With so much of life on hold and COVID-19 being pretty much all you see on the news, people with anxiety are undoubtedly suffering through bouts of mental whiplash. The space inside their skulls is filled with the sound of sirens and the sight of red strobe lights whirling away. In the past I’ve described this anxiety as level red, one of five colors in the anxiety rainbow.

I’m relieved to say that my own anxiety level, which would certainly have been at red a few years ago, is much lower right now. I’d say it’s at yellow: The concern and worry are there, but I don’t feel overwhelmed by them. I’m still able to live my life and do my work. For me, that’s progress. It also makes me feel a bigger sense of responsibility to help calm the waters, and I’ll do that in upcoming posts.

I’ve also seen glimpses of light cutting through the fog.

While the negative, emotion-laden media coverage is certainly loud, I’m finding plenty of common sense guidance. Some examples:

• Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are successfully managing COVID-19 without some of the draconian measures China took. It shows a potential path the rest of the world could take.
• There are some great data visualizations available to put things in perspective. One of my favorites, the World-O-Meter Coronavirus page, because it presents data points clearly, calmly, and without the freak-out factor.
• A lot of people are finding humor in all this. I’m sharing a lot of memes on my Facebook page because I’m a firm believer that humor is one of our most powerful weapons against the darkness. A couple of favorites:

Two final thoughts:

A lot of kids are scared right now, and some parents will find it hard to explain what’s going on. In times like this I always think of what Mister Rogers once said: Tell them to watch for the helpers. They always show up.

For those wondering what they can do right now: Just be the blessing in someone else’s life. You don’t have to do something big to make a difference. Help those around you where they need help. Help them smile. Help them find the good news in a sea of bad news.

Until next time, be well.