Maria Marquez reflects on her experience with COVID-19
Experts and loved ones provide insight on emotions throughout the pandemic
Written by Sydney Fischer
Millions of individuals have been affected by the ongoing pandemic and the emotions that have followed, particularly after finding out that a loved one contracted the virus. One of these individuals includes Maria Marquez, the grandmother of Georgina Ramos, a University of Nevada, Reno student living in Honduras. Mental health experts feel that emotional turmoil for those who contracted the virus and their family will continue after the pandemic ends.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been over 28 million total COVID-19 cases in the United States. These numbers continue to rise daily, with over half of a million deaths from COVID-19 in the United States. This pandemic has left many feeling pressured from relationships and finances, meaning it will take many years for these individuals to recover.
“About four days I felt the worst”, Maria says. “I didn’t realize I had the virus”.
It is understandable that experts have taken note and are concerned about the long-term effects this may create. There have been concerns about individuals in the United States having lasting clinical depression, anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“A downfall was when my grandparents tested positive for COVID-19,” Georgina Ramos, a student attending the University of Nevada, Reno said. “I overcame it by focusing on my studies and keeping contact with them whenever given the chance”.
Maria says this period left her with negative emotions. She said that, after she had gotten rid of the virus, she felt more calm, different, and now feels fine. Georgina says Maria spent time praying to help herself cope. This impacted Maria as she personally grew depressed and wasn’t able to see her family members during this time.
Yesenia Carrillo, a social worker in Las Vegas says, “I think it has been impactful on both spectrums’’, when talking about individuals who struggled or enjoyed the time they’ve had during the Coronavirus. “Some people have had the opportunity to tap into themselves like they’ve never had time to do before, which has opened them up to both growth and tap into how dependent people may be on relationships, careers, and has also caused a great deal of self-reflection and re prioritization of things that make up their lives.”
Individuals with first-hand experience of contracting COVID-19 have felt overwhelmed and felt the need to distract themselves during this unprecedented time. The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has provided tips on distracting oneself from negative emotions by doing the following: “Limit media to reduce anxiety, get and provide social support, find ways of expressing kindness, create new routines and keep practicing health behaviors, eat well, and work well enough from home”. This department states that these practices may help reduce stress when coping with COVID-19.
Georgina later says the process of feeling better took her only a few weeks, once she knew that her grandparents no longer were carrying the Coronavirus.
“My grandparents having COVID-19 impacted my mental health by causing me to become very depressed and isolate myself from the people around me,” Georgina says. “I found it very hard to have any motivation”. These thoughts were increased for her grandparents, as they were concerned while they were positive with the virus.
“40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use. These statistics include a rise in those who have considered suicide, most prominently among respondents who are ages 18–24 (25.5%) and essential health workers (21.7%)”, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says in 2020.
Maria said that after having contracted the virus, she decides to follow safety precautions and guidelines more than she previously had been. She also says that this virus changed the medicine she was using. Maria believes necessary COVID-19 guidelines will help prevent Coronavirus spread and, now, feels more safe than beforehand.
Kevin Watson, boyfriend of Georgina says that Georgina’s family factored into the decisions she made in order to cope. Kevin says he thinks this event will keep the family close together, allowing them to cope through these difficult times her grandmother has gone through.
“I will always keep in mind that people are only here for a limited time. We need to take in every moment we can with the people we love and appreciate,” Georgina says.
“Humans are ridiculously resilient,” Yesenia says. “We have the ability to adapt and cope with many threats to our existence and continue our journey.”
During this pandemic, Maria has spent much time trying to decide how she will cope with her lingering feelings of contracting COVID-19. In the United States, this is a common issue that will be addressed for years to come. Experts will continue to remind individuals to follow safety precautions, in order to ease the stress on citizens impacted by the pandemic throughout the world.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/personal-social-activities.html
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/copingresources/covid19
Maria Marquez: Phone call, interview on 4 March, 2021, Phone number: +011 (504) 9926–1733
Yesenia Corillo: Email, interview on 2 March, 2021, Phone number: (630) 453–4456, Email: ycarillo81@yahoo.com
Georgina Ramos: Email, interview on 25 February, 2021, Phone number: (702) 913–7325, Email: Gramosgavarrete@nevada.unr.edu.
Kevin Watson: Email, interview on 3 March, 2021, Phone number: (916) 622–2687, Email: kevinwatson@nevada.unr.edu.
28 Feb., 2021. Quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.
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