Racism Is a Mental Health Issue
COVID has had a profound impact on my health and mental health, in ways I never could have imagined a year ago.
I grew up in a predominantly white, small coastal village in sunny Essex and although I had experiences of racism growing up, as an adult direct instances of racism were rare (for me). COVID really brought out the ugly side of the internalised racism of our country. Being Asian suddenly felt like having a target on your back. Asian faces dominated COVID news reports. My face. While names like ‘Hong Kong Flu’ and ‘China virus’, placed the blame solely at the feet of Asian and South East Asian people. Jokes about eating bats and dogs pervaded and even our local representatives were in on the joke. Worse, unapologetic even in the face of criticism and evidence of lawful wrongdoing.
First, it is fair to say that I have never been stopped and searched. I acknowledge my race and background has come with privileges. Yet COVID has shown how quickly a ‘model minority’ can be seen as a threat and how fragile, if not false a protection this grants us. I believe no one should live with fear because of the skin their born in. This is wrong. Unequivocally.
Truth is I did feel fear, and with the fear came the anxiety. It started as a seed and it grew and grew. Until I stopped leaving the house. I used any and every excuse to stay indoors. To hide my face. I was hiding from the world and COVID. I didn’t know what was worse the fear of COVID itself or going out and being around people anymore. I masked my feelings at work in a safe remote online world. Until I couldn’t hide anymore.
As Christmas approached and prior to lockdown 3, family were asking to visit and see the kids. Just the thought of being in a room, surrounded by people turned me upside down and inside out. Suddenly all the rationalisation in the world couldn’t explain my fear. We cancelled Christmas and then so did No10. What a relief. It was then I sought the help I needed. I asked for support and through work was offered a period of counselling.
Talk therapy works. At least for me it has. Saying it all out loud just helped me to understand the origins of my health anxiety and to tame the fear I had felt and projected onto the world around me. Take action where it was needed and sift through all those other feelings and start to express them better.
My journey to understand my own health and mental health has given me the strength to speak up. I have come to realise how Mental health is intrinsically linked to discrimination. That violence and hate must not be tolerated. Everyone deserves to feel safe. Personal safety is a crucial part of well-being and good mental health.
There has been so much talk about lost learning through COVID due to school closures. I really think we must also not lose sight of the impact of COVID on our mental health and well-being, and those of our children and young people
In honour of mental health week. Stay safe. Take care. Speak up. Be well.
