There are many ways that the pandemic has turned our lives upside down. In a blink of an eye, we found ourselves tied down to our homes. We were going through so many changes at such a fast rate, we barely had the time to process any of them. We simply moved forward as the world moved forward without knowing where the final destination would be. However, along with the pandemic came many gifts.
We began to look at hygiene in a way that we have never done before. People made positive changes in their lives. Families got to spend time together. But I must say that the greatest gift of all, was the prioritisation of mental health.
I am sure we have stories about how lockdown poisoned our mental health. Stories about how uncertainty about the future intensified our anxiety. Stories about how being stuck in the same place may have triggered our depression.
The increase in the demand for mental health services took place during a time when people could not go see their doctors/therapists like they usually would. This pushed for the use of ICT-delivered psychological services. According to Fonseca and Osma (2021), these services include web-based interventions, mobile apps, videoconferencing systems etc.
Here are some services that I made use of during lockdown and still use even now:
Telepsychology
As defined by the American Psychological Association, telepsychology refers to “the provision of psychological services using telecommunication technologies”. Examples of such technologies include email, video calls, phone calls etc. Telepsychology was my saving grace during the online learning phase.
Switching to online learning was such a nightmare for me. At first, I seemed to be adjusting well. I always attended the online lectures, made sure I submitted on time etc. but somewhere I completely lost control. I had to drop one of my majors just so I could manage the workload.
This meant I would have to add another year to the years it was supposed to take me to complete my degree. This obviously messed with my mental health because of the stress and uncertainty I was dealing with at the time. Fortunately, my university offers online counselling, so I was able to have therapy sessions via Zoom and kept in contact with my therapist via email.
Podcasts
Listening to podcasts is a hobby I actually picked up because I was tired of watching television. I honestly had no idea they would be so beneficial to my overall well-being. I listen to a variety of podcasts ranging from true crime to wellness.
I specifically loved Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba which held powerful conversations about overall wellness. I listened to Goddess Confessions a lot on days when I felt down and needed something to uplift my spirits.
Although these podcasts did not really offer any professional psychological advice, I still consider them a psychological service because of the way they were able to help me repair my mental health.
Good Housekeeping.com has a great article that explains in detail how listening to podcasts can benefit your brain.
Mobile apps
Flipd is an app I downloaded for school. However, I started incorporating it into other parts of my life. I also use it to limit my screen time. I use the phone lock focus timer so I can remember to take time off my phone and do other things.
There are many things on our phones that could trigger our stress and anxiety. Therefore, it is vital that we take some time away from it and attend to ourselves.
As I have mentioned, there are many ICT-delivered psychology services out there. I am very interested to hear which ones you have adopted and which work well for you. Feel free to share in the comment section.
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