Psychological Well-Being During the Coronavirus Pandemic

For the past 90 days, we have been living in a reality that we once believed could only exist in movies, and somehow we have already begun to normalize it. In contrast, during the first days—when clouds of anxiety hovered over us—people searched for something to hold on to. After the initial shock, endless television discussions were held about how masks should be worn properly. Later, attention shifted toward the economic dimension of the crisis and brainstorming about how businesses could survive.

Beyond all these material-centered discussions, there exists another phenomenon—one that is spoken about indirectly through everyone’s relationship with themselves, yet rarely reflected upon deeply: the human psyche. At the beginning of the pandemic, the anxiety attacks surrounding people and the virus-protection measures that almost resembled clinical OCD cases gradually gave way to activities centered on self-discovery. Because after greeting death every evening around seven or eight o’clock and learning how many lives it had claimed that day, it became necessary for the instinct for life to take control.

Some people started baking bread, others began painting, and some even started learning Swedish. More importantly, however, people began to realize that their potential was not limited to what had previously been shown to them. They remembered that they still had a sense of self and that they were unique individuals.

The slowing down of life played a major role in this realization. By ignoring the limits of the body and almost tormenting it through relentless routines, this pandemic became a powerful opportunity to recognize how deeply our habits had enslaved us and alienated us from ourselves. Perhaps such an awakening was necessary, and undoubtedly, without being forced into it, many would never have experienced it.

But most importantly, during this period, while redefining the boundaries of the body, we must not overlook the boundaries of our psyche as well. In fact, the more we ignore them, the more they will continue to remind us of their existence—just as they have before.

So, do you think anything will truly change?