*The face mask might hide my mild anxiety and depression...*
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The numbers of infected rate has run into Millions worldwide, while death rate is in hundreds of thousands. Irrespective of the inaccuracy in the data from different countries, one this is for sure, Billions of lives, that is; the healthy and uninfected have been affected directly or indirectly. Economies have been truncated, massive jobs losses, death tolls, famine, private business grounded and dying; which is the one that affected me the most as a Hauler.
Sadly, there are more sinister things to be worried about beyond my sources of income or plans that have been disorganized. My brother on a long call told me that people are having symptoms of depression already where he works in St.Paul, Alberta. He said, last week, a man Hijacked an Ambulance and just drove it headlong into a grocery store. I also read news about how some people in the suburbs of Michigan or one US state deliberately walk almost naked, maybe as a protest against the virus or the government, we won't know for sure. It sounds funny but I could tell that its not a normal behavior and that could only result in some form of mental breakdown.
In the city where I live, the government lifted lockdown since last week and the number of infection rate keeps doubling and scaring. There was a law making the use of facial mask mandatory for all if you are to go out in public. Also, there is a curfew put in place between 6pm to 8am which we still finds illogical considering the virus doesn't work with time. But the government knew they can not sustain us, I have to go out, I have to get my outstanding payments from clients who are hiding under the pandemic to not fulfill their end of agreement for months now since March, and to get some groceries and food items. Mentally, its tolling on me and maybe millions like me. My business partner; my big brother is also showing that sign of depression and anxiety too, its not hidden for us anymore. Because we have to ration everything even the things that can't be rationed. I have a surging Anxiety, I haven't been diagnosed but I have read it all up and I chose not to expose myself to been infected at testing centers and some hospitals.
I know a few people who lost their jobs amidst this pandemic, I read of some people who have not been paid since February, I know families who now succumb to donations and relief from churches and some philanthropist just to feed once a day. I eat a meal a day too, I can't afford to go hungry if the Government puts us on another lockdown. But this is not about me precisely, I mean I'm having mental breakdown too but reading and seeing local news of what people have resorted makes me sick the more.
Maybe I'm just mildly depressed, a lot of people in my home country are going through full blown depression, a mother with 3 kids were found dead in an apartment in a village, apparently she locked herself and kids in to avoid the shame of begging for food. Not very far from me, a man was jogging and he got knocked down by a speeding car, the driver left the car and jumped into a drainage just to kill himself too. The police don't know if to charge him or release him as he was badly injured and laughing like a mad man. My mental health haven't decayed to that state, but I'm constantly aware that there are people who have lost it and could pose harm to you as well as their selves.
Imagine a family where the husband and wife got laid off at work the same time, I kept wondering how that family will survive because there won't be employment for a long time in so many business sectors, schools are still on lockdown, institutions are not fully functional, its a sad reality to know how Billions of people not infected and killed have been affected mentally, emotionally and financially. It is more thrilling to know that those who you might ask for help are either depressed or having anxiety too hence no one to talk to or ask for help.
Certainly, I am not just paranoid, I have spoken to a couple of friends on the Blockchain in Europe and North America, I discussed this same topic with some friends right here and asked some questions in a helpline Telegram group to know how this is affecting others aside from myself. This is the reality, a mess medical professionals will have to. deal with after we vanquished Corona virus epidemic!