22 • Personal Health
By Lola Mendez
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How SEVEN People Dealt With the Realities of COVID-19 Crisis
Women are particularly affected by the increased demand for emotional labor from this collective grief and trauma our communities face during this pandemic.
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March 2020 survey from the Pew Research Center found that 47% of women say their personal life has changed drastically during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nearly half of the women said childcare responsibilities have been a struggle, and Pew also reports that women of all ages are more likely to experience high distress. The time for wellness has become scarce during the pandemic, which has blurred the boundaries between work and home life during quarantine, and diminished physical and social support due to social distancing and mandatory lockdowns. We spoke to some women about the harsh realities they’re facing during the COVID-19 crisis, and what they’re doing to ease their worries.
Coping With the Loss of a Loved One Pennsylvanian Lissa Poirot has eye cancer and went through radiation in February. In March, her fiancé was tragically killed. Soon after, she went into lockdown with her two teenagers before they could plan a memorial. “I’m still awaiting the results of my radiation to find out if my tumor is gone while I grieve his sudden loss,” she says. “My fiancé was a rock to me; he managed the finances, and took care of me when I was going through treatment. If the quarantine would have started a week earlier, perhaps he would be here with me, trapped inside.”
Pet Therapy Poirot has a puppy and is taking dog walks with her kids. “Pets have healing power; they raise serotonin and dopamine levels in our brain which helps with anxiety and depression. Pets provide companionship, a sense of security, and comfort,” Noreen Iqbal, LCSW, and the founder of Olive Branch Therapy Group in New Jersey, says.
