Covid-19 emotional stress

2020 is a difficult year for everyone, and so do we. There are many kinds of stress that people around the world have to cope with during the pandemic, personal stress, financial stress, family stress, to name a few. I’m lucky enough to not have any financial problem. My small family (a couple and 2 cats) was separated in more than 8 months, but we are now under the same roof, thanks to my employer. I thought I was doing pretty well and not suffered too much in my first year living in a new country, new culture, new company, with Covid. But these days, I realised I’m being hit by emotional stress.

In the last 11 years, since I left my hometown for university, I always come back to celebrate one of the most important holidays of Vietnam - the Lunar New Year (Tet). The habit doesn’t change even after I got married. One of the values that both me and my wife share is “family”, that’s why being with friends and family during this time is very important to us. But this year is so different. Having no friends in Sydney, barely hanging out with other people, we are feeling so isolated and disconnected to the social world, Facebook and Instagram couldn’t help us. The closer it is to Tet, the more we feel the pain. It’s depressing because we have no visibility when we are able to travel again, to see our loved ones.

To some people, not coming back to home country for a year is a normal thing, maybe it would be the same for us in the future. But this time, I’m sad and depressed!!