We have now entered the “dark winter” predicted by President-elect Joe Biden. Please — please — take care of your mental health during this trying time. Here’s my most recent #LIHerald editorial….
Let’s say it like it was: 2020 was miserable. It was a horrid year for us all. Everyone — everyone — was affected to one degree or another by the coronavirus pandemic, which washed over us like a merciless tidal wave, leaving fear, anxiety and death in its wake.
The speed at which the virus swept across the land was stunning, leaving us feeling helpless against a viral invader.
Nearly 4,700 people have died of Covid-19 in Nassau and Suffolk counties — and an estimated 25,000 in New York City — since the coronavirus broke out in the greater metropolitan area in March, bringing grief to hundreds of thousands of lives here.
On top of those terrible — and terrifying — statistics, Long Island lost more than 100,000 private-sector jobs from November 2019 to November 2020, an 8.8 percent decline, according to the New York State Department of Labor. The biggest losses came in hospitality, 35,800 jobs; education and health services, 23,600; trade, transportation and utilities, 15,000; professional and business services, 10,000; and manufacturing, 8,000.
There is help available, however. If you are feeling anxious, depressed or suicidal, regardless of the reason, you can — you should — check out the state Office of Mental Health website, where you will find numerous resources to turn to for help.
For more, click here.
