Staying Healthy in the face of COVID-19 and other Personal Challenges
Louisa Jewell offers her opinion on how people can better cope with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. If there is anything that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us is that disproportionately the virus has affected the most vulnerable. This may be because of age and the compromised heath issues that come with age, or it may be because of socio- economic factors (low income, inadequate access to health care, racialized, marginalized, precariously housed). Additionally, there is the issue of one’s mental health. Sadly, the most vulnerable in our societies straddle some or all of the above factors, however it maybe that mental health is the least well understood. Mental health can be understood to relate to the emotional wellbeing of a person. To have what is considered a mentally healthy full life, one is able to functionally cope while experiencing a range of emotions including pleasure and pain. Mental illness on the other hand is considered to be a psychiatric disorder, impa