Recently, I was listening to a song by J. Cole called Friends off of his most recent album, KOD. In this song he’s speaking to his friends about their drug addictions and how it’s affecting their relationship and their overall lives. And it got me thinking about the vices we use to mask pain and deal with difficult situations, but also the different alternatives we can use to get through them.
COVID has been a different type of challenge for us all. Never in our lifetime has there been something that has hindered us from doing literally anything that we’ve wanted to do. I’m sure a lot of people have missed their social outings, vacations, etc. I’m also sure that some of us have said “fuck it” at certain times and took a risk because we wanted our lives to go back to some kind of normalcy. However, it seems like this will be the new norm for some time. And with that we need to adjust, because if we don’t, then we’re headed straight into a downward spiral.
Since the beginning if COVID, there’s been a rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have gone up too. I know drug and alcohol use has gone up as well. I remember when it first hit and people were panic buying, one of the many things they stocked up on was alcohol. And HELLAS. There’s no shame in that at all. Everyone is different, but I did think to myself, ‘Well damn, if the world is ending, alcohol would probably be one of the last things that I’d be worried about getting’.
Why has our culture normalized the need for relying on vices? They’re so harmful in the long run. Whether it be food, alcohol, drugs, social media, etc. they all have a huge effect on our mental and physical well being. We need to make sure that as COVID is making its rounds throughout the world again, we challenge ourselves not to go back to detrimental habits. Trust me, I was right there in the mix as well using vices to get through as much as possible. My anxiety has not been kind to me throughout this year, but I’ve been taking it a day at a time. It’s not easy taking care of yourself at times, but you also have to remember that there’s no rush in doing so. You’re allowed to be “human”, contrary to what society says.
One of my new favorite things is meditation. I downloaded the Calm app and it’s been a great help for me over the last couple of months. There’s so many different sessions that cater to all demographics. It’s helped me deal with my anxiety in a way that I’ve never dealt with it before. And because of this, I no longer have to rely on certain things to help get me through.
Even if you don’t want to meditate, that’s just an example of something else you can do. There’s so many different things that you can try out there, so don’t limit yourself to things that you know or that can harm you. Pick up that thing you wanted to do when you were younger, go for that walk to that place, climb that mountain, or open that online business you’ve been putting off. The most challenging thing you can do is step outside of your comfort zone. However, once you do, I promise you’ll see the world in a different way.
Peace and blessings.
CB
Conroy's Cosy Corner 