The Daily Signal - Mental Health, Loneliness, and What People Can Do About It During COVID-19

Episode Date: April 10, 2020

Ellice Park is a small business owner in Columbus, Ohio who runs a practice called Counseling Care Circle where she gives professional therapy and wellness coaching services. She joins The Daily Signal Podcast today to talk about how people can respond to mental health challenges in the time of COVID-19.  We also cover these stories: The Labor Department announced on Thursday that over 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week - only a slight decline from the 6.8 million claims filed the last full week of March.  Senate Democrats have blocked Republicans $250 billion measure for the Paycheck Protection Program.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC host Jim Cramer during a phone interview on Thursday per the Hill that he thinks US businesses could reopen in the month of May.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Friday, April 10th. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rachel Del Judas. Elise Park, a small business owner in Columbus, Ohio, runs a practice called Counseling Care Circle, where she gives professional therapy and wellness coaching services. She joins me on the Daily Signal podcast to talk mental health, loneliness, and what people can do about it in the time of COVID-19. Don't forget. If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to leave a review or a five-star rating on Apple Podcast,

and encourage others to subscribe. Now on our top news. The Labor Department announced on Thursday that over 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, only a slight decline from the 6.8 million claims that were filed during the last full week of March. U.S. chief economist at Standard & Poor's Rating Services,

Betham Bevino, said, per the hill, America is now in recession, and as it appears to deep, The question is how long it will take before the U.S. recovers, and we see a bounce back, both in terms of jobs and GDP. Senate Democrats have blocked Republicans' $250 billion measure for the Paycheck Protection Program. Democrats say they want billions more in funding for states and hospitals, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits, and funding for financial institutions and communities that wouldn't be able to be part of the Paycheck Protection Program per Axiore. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Democrats' proposal and adjourn the Senate until Monday.

American businesses might reopen in May. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told CNBC host Jim Kramer during a phone interview on Thursday, per the Hill, that he thinks U.S. businesses could reopen in the month of May. I think as soon as the president feels comfortable with the medical issues, we are making everything necessary that America companies and America workers can be open for business and they have the liquidity to operate their businesses in the interim, Mnuchin told Kramer. Attorney General Bill Barr isn't mincing words when it comes to giving his perspective on coronavirus restrictions, which he called Draconian in an interview with Fox News, Laura Ingram. Here's what he had to say via Fox News. I think they have been patient and I think

we have to be very careful to make sure this is, you know, that the draconian measures that are being adopted are fully justified, and they're not alternative ways of protecting people. And I think, you know, when this period of time at the end of April expires, I think we have to allow people to adapt more than we have, and not just tell people to go home and hide under the bed, but allow them to use other ways, social distancing and other means, to, to use other means, to protect themselves. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee is calling on the World Health Organization to testify before them regarding their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Indiana Republican Senator Todd Young on Thursday told Politico, on all fronts have been not just unimpressed, but outraged by the responsiveness and the performance of the World Health Organization. In a letter to WHO director Tadros Gabrisis, Young writes, the Chinese government's systematic failure, a failure verified by our intelligence community to accurately report the number of cases is damaging our epidemiological knowledge of COVID-19. Rather than publicly and forcefully combat this obstruction, the WHO has assisted. Politico reports that the World Health Organization,

is continuing to defend its handling of COVID-19. In a briefing Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that more people have died from COVID-19 than died on 9-11. Here's what he had to say via CBS News. I live through 9-11. 9-11 was supposed to be the darkest day in New York for a generation. We've done everything we can since 9-11 to make sure 9-11 didn't happen. Again, we lose 2753 lives on 9-11. We've lost over 7,000 lives to this crisis. That is so shocking and painful and breathtaking.

I can't, I don't even have the words for it. 9-11 was so devastating, so tragic. And then in many ways, we lose so many more New Yorkers to this silent killer. There was no explosion. But it was a silent explosion that just ripples through society with the same randomness, the same evil that we saw on 9-11. First Lady Melania Trump appeared in a coronavirus public. service announcement on Thursday, encouraging Americans to wear face masks whenever in public settings.

As the CDC continue to study the spread of COVID-19, they're recommending that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures can be difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Remember, this does not replace the importance of social distancing. It is another recommended guideline to keep us all safe. Next up, Elise Parkes joins me to talk about mental health, loneliness, and what people can do about it in the time of COVID-19. It is our priority at the Daily Signal to keep you informed during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's an important message from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, telling us three ways we can all help to slow spread. For the next 30 days, the task force really wants everyone to stay at home, to wash your hands,

and to not touch your face. I'm joined today on the Daily Signal podcast by Elise Park, a small business owner in Columbus, Ohio. Her practice is Counseling Care Circle, where she specializes in all age groups, mostly working with adults through family systems. Elise, it's great to have you on the Daily Signal podcast. Hi, I'm so thankful to be here with you today. Thank you for having me. Well, thank you so much for being here making the time. We appreciate it so much. To start off to give a little bit of context, can you talk about how some people are facing uncharted territory when it comes to mental health issues and feeling isolated because we've really never been in a situation like this before. You're totally right. Loneliness is an experience that people have struggled with before coronavirus existed, but it is especially pronounced globally and we are more aware of it than ever because most of the planet, is shut down and focused on finding a cure for coronavirus. We know from an easy Google search that loneliness can cause many problems like the deterioration of your physical health, the weed like growth of negative beliefs and perspectives, and most tragically, it can lead to suicide.

Well, when we were talking before the show, you had mentioned that good social skills are an antidote to loneliness, and can you talk a little bit more about that, Aeweese? So loneliness is a real problem, and it is a public health concern, but there are some simple steps that we can take to address it. I think it may help to just describe what types of loneliness there are. And then like you're mentioning, what kind of social skills can be used to address each one. So there's three major categories of loneliness. There's circumstantial loneliness, which has to do with changes in our environment and having difficulty adjusting to it. The second type is a relational type of loneliness. And the third one is the interior deep type of existential, philosophical,

and spiritual feelings of isolation. So in addressing any of those, usually from a mental health perspective, we take social skills training to address all three of them. Social skills training occurs in relationship with others. So let's take, for example, circumstantial. That one, anyone can do these days by making adjustments and taking control of what they already can control. These can include steps like calming yourself by drinking warm things, keeping your eating schedule regular, staying hydrated, sleeping at regular intervals, and doing the basic skills of life. For the interior existential crises that some people may feel about questions of human suffering, these deeper conversations.

It may be helpful to talk to an expert who is trained to talk about worldview. And what happens when your worldview seems to crack a little bit or that the world around you seems different from what you thought it was or should be? So talking with a chaplain could help in a situation like that or a leader in your community who you look up to. And lastly, for the relational types of loneliness, it's a really great time to reach out. Don't worry about seeming a certain way.

It's a time when everyone is invited to ask for help, be neighborly, and if you feel so inclined to also volunteer and help others around you in your neighborhood. So for some people, they're finding themselves struggling to get along with their spouse, children, or other family members because they're suddenly in such close quarters. What's your advice for them? Sure. That's a great question that many people are facing today because of the unexpected stress of change and self-quarantining. The first place to start is for the two parents and the adult figures in the family to gather together privately. and have a discussion about the changes that they are feeling as a couple,

the changes that they are observing happening inside their home, and then planning a time to have an open discussion where they allow their children to express themselves in the best way they can. Children have very active imaginations and can reach their own conclusions about what's happening. So it helps for their parents to provide some guidance and help them find their words to express how they feel, any questions that they have about what's going on, and to have regular check-ins to receive the assurance that they need from their parents, that as a family, they're all doing the best that they can with the available knowledge today. Are there any ways when talking about coronavirus where parents can speak to their children about what's going on, but also be honest with them at the same time?

Yes, absolutely. So there's a lot of great tools and illustrations online that are available completely for free that help children understand through a storybook format style of what coronavirus is, how it behaves, and what kids can do to help, just starting with very basic things, like washing their hands thoroughly, and when their parents come back home from grocery shopping or from work, to wait patiently until their parents also do their part to wash their hands, the same way that kiddo is doing, before they can hug and go about their normal home life. Well, he's switching gears a little bit. I know that some of your outreach directly to people in the medical field, those who are working on the front lines. So I just wanted you to share if you could a little bit how you approach good mental health for medical professionals.

Sure. So people who are in the medical field, and especially those who are on the front lines these days, there are so many things to think about, and I first off want to acknowledge that. So given that there are challenges at work and then things to think about when you come home, especially if you have dependents and children or partner who may or may not be in the healthcare field as well. There are some basic steps that a person on the medical field can first do. Given this current situation, I would highly advise some very practical steps of organizing your finances, communicating with appropriate family members about worst-case

scenario plans and steps to take if you were to contract COVID-19. If you have adult dependence, then also plan in advance and then have a frank conversation with them as well. These are all preparatory steps that are in your control. With that, though, is also other types of short-term and more regular preparatory steps that health care workers can take. I would advise and encourage you to also have conversations about points of contact. So say that you have a young child at home. Then having conversations about what they can expect when you are coming home from work and allowing them to ask questions, express how they feel will help your whole family adjust with you. And it'll also give you,

you, an opportunity to express how you feel as well and together develop peace of mind because you're all on the same page. If you have nieces or nephews or grandchildren who are thinking of you and concern for you, please also share with them the kinds of steps that you're taking to demonstrate that you are in control of your situation as best and as humanly possible as you can be. And that will also contribute to the whole family's openness to communicate with one another about the situation as well as giving each other affirmations and peace of mind about where everyone is at on this topic. And when all that prep work is then I would suggest that for caregivers and health care workers on the front lines,

please carve out a private and quiet space for yourself in your day, in your home, where you can relax, unwind, and release some of the stress and the tension from your day. As we close out, can you address the importance of having a plan and how would you encourage people to implement a plan in their daily lives to help have good mental health? For having good mental health, there's several practical things to do. So first, please try to keep as regular of a schedule as possible so that you have a dependable and reliable structure in your life to provide yourself a sense of security. at the same time, have open hands for flexibility because things can change. And it's not about perfection.

It's just about progress each day. The second thing that I would like to recommend is the importance of social engagement. So whether that is joining an online support group for self-care or scheduling times for check-ins with your friends and your family, or being neighborly and also reaching out to your acquaintances and colleagues who you may not have felt were particularly close friends, but just in the spirit of being neighborly and looking out for each other, check in with each other, just see how things are even as well you talk about are recipes or what you're looking forward to when the quarantine is over.

Also, I think the last piece would be to really honor each space in your home. So your bedroom, please reserve that for sleep and for getting dressed. And if you're an adult with a partner or spouse, intimate activity, and then, you know, the other rooms of your house to keep them for their purpose as well. and whether, so for example, like in your kitchen and in your dining room to eat there and to do food things there, in your living room to do activities of leisure, watching the news, reading, et cetera, and at your workspace to do work things. And this helps give your body and your brain a sense of order in the space that you have to freely move in this time. Well, Elise, thank you so much for joining us on The Daily Signal podcast. It's been such a pleasure to have you with us.

Thank you so much for having me. And that'll do it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to The Daily Signal podcast. We do appreciate your patience as we record remotely during these weeks. Please be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. And please be sure to leave us a review or a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and give us your feedback. Stay healthy and we will be back with you all on Monday. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. It is executive produced by Kate Shrinco and Rachel Del Judas.

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