Unpopular take: Mind-blowing how people think a highly infectious and potentially serious/fatal virus is comparable to wanting to see your friends.

If you get sick, you can’t control how it affects your body. (Or someone else’s.) If you get lonely, you can control how you cope.

This coming from a psychiatric nurse who has seen first-hand, since the start of the pandemic, the mental health effects that this is having on people, and in the most severe form.

Barring serious psychiatric effects and those with previous mental health conditions, and granted I have seen a few in the emergency department come in with some incredibly severe and unavoidable episodes, the two just do not compare.

I see up close everyday how it affects people mentally, and I see up close everyday how it affects people physically. The latter (speaking generally) has the potential be so much more devastating and difficult to come back from. Whether it be yours, or a neighbour’s health.

Keep in mind that this is all coming from somebody (me, hi) who’s dedicated their life to mental health and advocacy. All I ever want to do is shout about how it is just as important as physical, and I still firmly stand by that. I’m not now trying to say it doesn’t matter.

What I’m saying is that loneliness, anxiety, fear, stress - while awful - are not infectious. And there are resources out there to help with that.

This virus is infectious. And it has been scientifically proven time and again that it can be prevented with the proper precautions.

Kids are resilient. Yes, socialization is critical in their development, and this time they’re losing can’t be given back. But again, they’re resilient. And there are things you can do to help foster that missing piece. (This coming from someone who spent time in peds psych.)

Stop calling frontline workers heroes (we’re not btw) if you refuse to heed our advice. It’s so incredibly frustrating that I have to risk the health of myself, my patients, and those around me everyday, all the while I see people complain about gyms being shut down. Whatever.

I’d like to reiterate again that I’m speaking generally here, because I do know firsthand that for some, this pandemic has led to a major mental health crisis. I don’t want to delegitimize that in any way. It’s real, it’s scary, and it’s not what I’m speaking to right now.

I’m talking about the people who cry “communist” and “control” when restrictions are enforced. Who throw a fit because they’re asked not to see their 15 friends every weekend, or to put a small piece of cloth on their face, or to not go to the mall.

The data on the virus isn’t up for debate, it is science and it is real. You shouldn’t have to understand the ins and outs of virology to accept that.

The longer you refuse to cooperate, the more people you put at risk, and the longer we’re all stuck in this situation. Simple.

But what do I know, man. I guess it’s too much to ask people to have a little respect or empathy for others. You can’t convince people to care, and that sucks.

Anyway, I don’t really have an insightful conclusion. Just a lot of frustration coming out on my night shift in emerg.

People are unfairly comparing apples and oranges. I hope my tired brain was clear enough in what I was trying to say.

Stay strong and healthy, people.