Every person I’ve talked to recently has expressed how their mental health is plummeting.

I’ve seen signs of anxiety in my husband, who doesn't usually struggle, but all of a sudden, he can’t sleep at night because he “can’t stop thinking about coronavirus.”

This pandemic is new territory, and there's a lot of uncertainty, so mental health issues are showing up in people who’ve never experienced it before.

And people who struggle with a mental illness…

well, it’s been harder not to get worse or fall back.

And I have a strong feeling my family’s not alone in this co-occurring mental health pandemic where every adult in the household is struggling.

Our world feels like it’s sinking, that if it were a boat, it would be creaking dangerously. There are so many waves right now. And we aren’t afraid of a little water over our heads at times, but we’re starting to lose oxygen because the waves are pulling us underwater for too long.

Death feels close even if we aren’t on the front lines seeing it first-hand. It’s in the news, it’s in someone we know or know of, but it’s too close for comfort.

We’re grieving small loses like:

We can’t believe it’s June and we’re still stuck inside.

We can’t believe the baby turned a year, and we couldn't celebrate.

And the big loses, that are really throwing us for a loop:

Like economic stress from job losses.

Increased feelings of loneliness from isolation.

Increased feelings of uncertainty.

Sadness over police brutality and the inequality in our country.

It’s a perfect storm for our ship to capsize.

This has been an extended nightmare for mental health.

It's a new experience for someone who has lived with an inner darkness to see it within everyone.

And it’s interesting to be a part of the conversation instead of the crazy conspiracy theorist on the outskirts.

And it’s also sad.

But we must hold on tightly…

…to each other.

We’re all not ourselves right now, so we need to give each other an endless amount of grace.

We must be kind and understanding.

Because mental illness thrives in isolation.

So, we emotionally need each other,

to conquer this more silent and equally as deadly pandemic ravaging our nation,

mental illness.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId