Ep. 74: How A Pandemic & Civil Unrest Impacts Mental Health: Perspective from A Social Psychologist

Notes to listeners:  This episode was recorded early June and was intended to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on our mental health and the initial responses to the protests against police brutality. There are many key issues we did not cover, but we hope you will find some solace in this episode.

EQ: What impact is the Coronavirus pandemic having on mental health and how are those impacts uniquely burdensome for female identified folx and people of color?

Guest: Michelle Ceynar

The pandemic is highlighting inequities in our society in new ways and exacerbating anxiety and depression around the world. This experience is much like adolescent ups and downs. The inability to recover from all the “fires” makes it difficult to ever fully recover. People of color are not only left out of conversations about mental health but are most impacted because of institutional racism and marginalization.

Related Links:

• “Dancing Backwards in High Heels: The Extra Burdens of Female Professors in the Form of Greater Student Demands”

  • Related article from Inside Higher Ed 

• Washington Post: The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Pushing American Into a Mental Health Crisis

• Psychology Today: Affective Forecasting

• New Study Shows Staggering Effect of Coronavirus on America’s Mental Health

• Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 Related Concerns

• National Alliance on Mental Illness

• The American Psychological Association 

Champagne & Real Pain

🥂Legal Defense Funds

🥂Businesses coming out in support of BLM saying

🥂Conservative “middle” people who are waking up to the situation in America

🥂The Humble grocery store employee

👎🏻Murderers of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery

👎🏻White people who refuse to understand George Floyd protests 

👎🏻Police officers who aren’t refusing to go to work or standing up to their crew

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Michelle’s work. Our episode cast a really broad net today, so don’t forget to learn more about social psychology theory and read Michelle’s new research. Psychology Today-  The Psychology of Rioting: the Language of the Unheard 

• Michelle: Do internal HW--start thinking about why you’re responding to “riots” the way you’re responding.

• Doug: don’t post fake images—do you homework on anything you post

Follow us on Twitter @IWL_Podcast or Facebook: Interchangeable White Ladies Podcast

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up your copy of The Body is Not an Apology for the #readlessbasic book club

Ep. 15: Get Your Fear Under Control, (White) America

Our EQ: How are many modern social problems fueled by fear and how can we use the emotion to our advantage to make social change?

We dig into the topic of fear sharing some of their deepest fears, discussing mass shootings, how arming teachers is asinine (that gun $$ tho), and why white people need to get over themselves--specifically when it comes to films such as Black Panther. Since recording, Black Panther has crossed over $1 BILLION mark!

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Psychology of Fear
• Mass Shootings & Mental Illness
• Are White People Being Assaulted at  Showings of Black Panther
• Black Super Heroes Matter
• The Bechdel Test
• The Race Bechdel Test
• Black Excellence is an All-Time High

Timeless or Terrible:

• Iphones
• Drake
• Bonfires

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Go read “Why we’re so easily manipulated by political appeals to fear” by David Ropeik.  It offers some interesting connections to today’s conversation about fear.
• Hope: 1) Go watch Black Panther. 2) Try to do something to combat your fears. 3) Go watch Black Panther.