So each night Hawklad tries to walk a few more yards. To extend is external walk. To slowly start to build bridges again. Last night he bailed out early as he saw people in the distance. But it is progress. It’s a start. At some stage he will be ready to even face people again. But in his own time. Whether that happens before he leaves school, who knows.

I do worry that too many countries are just thinking vaccines. No other permanent changes required. The vaccine will beat the pandemic and return us to that wonderful former world….

But surely with a mutating virus which is still spreading and still so endemic, all a vaccine does is buy us time. It gives us a chance to make changes. To find ways to live safely. To get support out to the people who need it. To increasingly try to make it harder for the virus to spread and thus mutate.

But here’s the thing. The vaccine doesn’t really help with the growing tide of mental health issues facing our society. Speaking with the team trying to support Hawklad. They are being swamped by rising child mental health problems (and the identified problems are just scratching the surface of the real volume of problems out there). Plus was the old world that perfect. Even before a pandemic there was a mental health crisis.

Society and Governments need to quickly wake up to this. There are somethings a vaccine can’t fix for them…..

80 thoughts on “Walk”

  1. Mental health support for kids should have been a priority even before covid. Now,it is crucial and I have seen little evidence that any countries are paying it the attention it deserves. This rush with vaccines and a return to normal is not dealing with mental health issues caused by the pandemic and the kids suffer needlessly.
    Truly a sad statement about schools and society as a whole. If kids have physical ailments,it must be seen to at once. Their mental health takes a backseat and it makes me ashamed of all leaders.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. My daughter alternates between being ok then she seems confused and scared. I get it,I feel that way,too. The vaccines have lead to this ‘normal is back’ message but covid cases keep rising. Now she has heard that even with the two shot vaccine, 500 people got covid anyway. Idk how the powers that be can ignore the turmoil these kids are feeling.

        Liked by 2 people

  7. Yes, the mental health pandemic that is brewing underneath the covid pandemic is definitely worrisome.

    I do personally feel more hopeful with vaccines around the corner but I agree with you that we can’t let our guard down with other measures like mask wearing and keeping our restrictions while the cases are still high.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yes sadly.My daughter suffers from mental illness. It’s so frustrating. Especially when it’s a love one. There is not enough help. 😔 I am so happy your son is getting out a little. That is so brave and strong of him. When he fears so deeply.

        Like

  9. So true. Isobelle was struggling with mainstream school, and when she got a place in this tiny one on one college we were over the moon. Then Covid hit, and she was unable to do learning via a screen.
    Now the college is open, and she struggles. Some days she can’t make it. Now my daughter is fighting for a second year there. No guarantees, and she has barely stepped foot in this ‘what we thought, perfect environment’.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. You nailed it! The kootie has a vaccine now, and if people use their brains, we might, MIGHT be able to slow the mutations enough to figure out how to go forward as societies… a “new normal”.
    But we still need to address the rest of what this pandemic has done… the economic impact, and the MENTAL HEALTH impact!! I’ve been saying forever that we’re going to be dealing with the mental health issues for YEARS.
    SOOO much damage has been done, and it’s STILL happening because it’s being ignored.

    🤐🤐🤐🤐🤐🤐 sorry!
    That sure is a brilliant photo of the sky!! I didn’t get a sunset Tuesday night, or sunrise. Cloudy all day☹ So thank you for the beautiful colors!💌💌💌💌

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. I am so glad you and Hawklad are trying a few more steps outside your property each night. It is the best way to start, given that there is not nearly enough support available to children with mental health problems, or for adults with mental health problems for that matter. go well both of you, and all the best for the road ahead.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. The pandemic basically ruined my last hope I had for society if I haven’t shared this before with you. Still going out in public gatherings or going out when you don’t really need to is a joke to me. I worked during the entire pandemic by no choice of my own, through keeping my distance, wasking my hands basically every hour around the clock, wearing a mask and being lucky enough to work at my store where the majority of the hours we are closed, has played apart of me not getting the virus. I never went out outside of work. My hubby and I are still being very cautious about going out to public places unless we absolutely have too. The vaccine is not the only answer, we still need to be taking the other precautions we took when we were in lockdown, but people don’t want to listen. Their way of thinking is literally this thick ‘if the government reopened the restaurants and bars it must mean I can’t get Covid.’ *facepalm* that or they just don’t care. Not all people, but most people are very spoiled, self entitled and selfish. They don’t think if they get it and will most likely survive it, that what are the dangers of them spreading it to the elderly or those with underlyning health issues where it will affect those a lot more. Like that, we are in trouble for a reason and it has nothing to do with getting the vaccine sooner. People got the Johnson Johnson vaccine and some of ended up in the hospital in critical condition and now that vaccine has been haulted or paused because of the problems it has caused. People are still also contradicting covid after given the two shots of the vaccine because it does not protect you against all strains. People biggest complaint seems to be ‘I lived during the whole pandemic with keeping my sanitizing needs in check, keeping my distance, wearing a mask now I am lyed up in a hospital bed after receiving this vaccine.’ I refuse to get the vaccine until it is more evolved and not rushed out like it is now. Call me a conspiracy freak, but I am not risking it. I will continue every safety measures I have this entire time during the pandemic until there are actual solutions with no questions, buts or ifs.

    Yes, the mental health issues is something that is not being dealt with. A lot of these mental health problems is deprived from again a spoiled society. I have spent most of my life in isolation due to many things. Being on the spectrum alone makes it enough of a challenge to want to go out to any crowded place and meet new people. Social gatherings with my family have always been a overwhelming nightmare as well. In my times of isolation though I have learned a lot about myself, my strengths, hobbies I enjoy and most importantly how to love myself. People who are not use to spending time alone use their outings as a great distraction to what they don’t like about themselves. The same as those who need to be on facebook 24/7 posting selfies for some clarification they are not ugly, or those who need to be on the phone 24/7 even while driving down the road and possibly causing an accident. I dunno why us getting into this much trouble with the pandemic was a shock to anyone. Just go for a drive down the road for 20 mins and I promise you will see how stupid and entitled people are just by how they drive. Cutting people off, people in yuppie vehicles thinking they are above the road laws because they spent a million on their car, and worse the people on their phones super distracting and fail to remain between the lines or keep the same speed for more than 5 seconds. That is just one example. Not to mention the people in restaurants complaining about their order forgetting the fact how busy these restaurants are etc…people who go into retail stores with the sole purpose of getting an employee fired without keeping in mind that employee probably has a family at home to feed. So yes mental health is a concern, but our society is also very concerning. If I hear one more complaint about how your need to socialize is more important than our safety I swear I am going to lose it.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. Yes…I think the mental health issues also rose because like I said but forgot to explain better, the pandemic made people face things they never had to before because the distractions of society that were there before the pandemic. People who were forced to lock themselves away from society for safety all of a sudden had alone time with their thoughts and had to face their true selves in the mirror. I was of course hoping people would use this time to learn to love themselves, to know spending time alone is not the definition of loneliness, that you can be okay with being alone etc…to find joy in old hobbies etc, but instead turned it into negative energy. They were so attached to their own needs, they put theirs before our safety. Working in retail has been a nightmare, even with limited hours people still pack in the store in the 100’s to the very last minute and then whine we are closing or worse ignore the closing announcements and attempt to remain in the store not thinking of those who need to cash them out or the managers who need to kick them out of the store before they can return to their actual jobs….Black Friday was another laugh…’what do you mean you are not doing black friday’ well sir it is the middle of the pandemic and technically we still are it was just the sales were for the whole week of black friday to hopefully lower the crowds….Which to me says it had nothing to do with what they wanted to buy on sale but more the addiction rush of Black Friday. Anywhoooo I could go on and on….The pandemic is as bad as it has been because we as humans don’t have it in us to truly care for one another. Which is why I will stay away happily from the majority of people at home with my husband and two kittens. Animals are far more appealing than society. 😛

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Your son and I have a lot in common. 🙂 Although my social abilities etc got a lot better when I got older and I did eventually come out of my anti social bubble. Not like entirely, I never had tons of friends, but I had a small circle, and I eventually got married. It was just about finding people who understood me, accepted me for me and had similar interests etc. That was the challenge. Your son will come out of his shell in his own time, but I am sure the pandemic is not helping it, rather could be delaying it. Give him time. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  19. Truly the problems we are facing go down so deep and I see the virus as only one powerful manifestation of it.. We are still very much an externally focused world and out of step with nature… there are so many mental health issues with such deep roots extending into the past. It really is cause for deep concern..

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Or look in all the wrong places.. I mean all of this problem with the AstraZenica issue (Hope I am spelling this right) shows the ‘cure’ or ‘preventative’ can be just as dangerous as what it is supposed to ‘protect’ people from

        Like

  23. every day is a process…definitely agree with the mental health thing…i have had such deep depression this year that i have almost given up at times. But , i keep at it..it’s all we can do.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  24. I think whether the vaccine allows the world to return to a different kind of normality or not is unpredictable and we have to try and stay positive and hope we are past the worst. You are absolutely right, many people (adults and children) will not ‘recover’ quickly from the impact the pandemic has had on their lives, no matter how successful the vaccine is in the long run. This is a marathon for many. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  25. My two youngest have been waiting for a CAMHS referral for over two years. My 13 year old is supposed to be on the SEN register for concentration issues, as he was at primary school but something went wrong somewhere and despite continued attempts to chase it up, nothing has ever happened to rectify it. It’s so frustrating. Emails to the school fall into a big black void and are seldom answered.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Particularly when at each parents’ evening the teachers ask if I’ve ever noticed my teenager has a problem with concentration, and every time I have to repeat yes, we went through this all last time and are still no further ahead. *sigh*

        Liked by 1 person

  26. Absolutely. It seems to me that too many people view the vaccine as the end to the nightmare but I think we have a very long way to go. I really don’t expect to be around when the new world comes about , not because I expect to depart any time soon, but because so many things need to be changed. But I do care and I hope when my time comes that the planet will be recovering at least.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment