You vs. 2020

Is all this *waves hands* starting to take a mental toll? You’re not alone— here’s how to get a handle on it.

- By Keely Weiss

Just 10 months ago, back in The Before Times, when we were all planning our New Year’s Eve outfits and sharing our glow-up goals for the new decade, none of us could have imagined what 2020 would have in store for us.

Despite the fact that lockdowns only started for most of the country in the spring, it’s now hard for many to remember life before the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. Before all the strife surrounding the upcoming election. Altogether, it can feel like we’ve been stuck in this stress soup for a whole lot longer than a few seasons.

Given all this, it’s easy to overlook the fact that our world has actually undergone a pretty dramatic transformation—at a speed, none of us were prepared for. And if all that dizzying change has taken a toll on your mental health lately, know that you are not alone.

Welcome to the struggle

“We’re seeing a lot of people coming to our centers in crisis because recent events are exacerbating mental health issues that were just underneath the surface,” reports Heather Monroe, LCSW and senior clinician at Newport Academy, a mental health center for teens and families.