CATHARSIS
paint your silver lining
(click image to proceed)
so. . . how are you?
today I'm feeling. . .
a little story about us
Catharsis started out as a project by four LSPR Communication & Business Institute students. Our first web series can be found on our Youtube channel where we tell the tales of three girls who are struggling amidst tough times.
By definition, Catharsis is the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. Therefore, we aim to shine the light onto mental health issues that can arise in the middle of this pandemic and we hope that you'd be able to seek some solace through our videos, too.
say hi to our team
Tasya is our head video editor, script writer and she also starred in the third episode as Alma. She considers herself as a part time writer, and a full time daydreamer. She enjoys writing, listening to music, getting lost, and travelling in her free time
Cessa is our head of design and content writer. In the second episode she's known as Kara. She calls herself as an aspiring storyteller who spends too much time on the internet (and Spotify). She also likes to capture moments in her life through photographs.
Dianka is our head content writer, 1/2 of the research team and you've probably seen her in the first episode as Reina. A consistently inconsistent artist wannabe, that's what her tagline is. She enjoys drawing, writing (sometimes), and listening to music, too.
Putri is our content writer and the other half of the research team. She appeared throughout all the episodes as Yunita. She's an imaginative full time dreamer with big hopes. Her hobbies include dancing, reading, travelling, and listening to music.
catharsis
is it in my lungs? (or in my head?)
Mental health has become one of the core issues that might affect one’s behavior in their daily lives. These issues may come in the way of them functioning normally and it affects how they handle their stress.
In the first episode, Reina is seen stressed out because of the influx of Covid-19 related news. All of the information she absorbed has caused her an immense amount of stress to the point that her body reacts and shows psychosomatic symptoms in relation to the pandemic.
What is psychosomatic? Based on patient.info, psychosomatic means mind (psyche) and body (soma). A psychosomatic disorder is a disease which involves both mind and body. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to being made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety. Your mental state can affect how bad a physical disease is at any given time.
Stress and anxiety can become a major problem especially when a global pandemic is currently happening. You are worried about yourself, your loved ones, and the state of the world. Because of this pandemic too, we are all forced to work from home. Sometimes the amount of work can be double too since we all need to do it alone. When you get swarmed by the constant reminder of Covid-19 by the news and being alone at home for a couple of months, it can get overwhelming. Soon, your mind will be clouded by negative thoughts that can disturb your daily life.
Despite following the social distancing regulation, she still fears that she might’ve caught the virus. All of the worries had turned her to be afraid of the pandemic. Because of this, Reina is struggling to finish her daily task.
See how Reina manages to push all of the overbearing worries to the back of her head with the help of her close friends in the first episode of Project Catharsis, "is it in my lungs? (or in my head?)".
catharsis
overwhelming thoughts: ctrl + esc
Staying inside seems like an easy thing to do but when you’ve been stuck inside for months, it’s bound to affect your psyche in some way.
They say that distance means nothing, but sometimes, it means something. In this case, distance plays a huge role at how isolated Kara feels for being stuck inside her home during quarantine. Away from her close friends, her anxiety level has gone through the roof due to her workload that seems to overwhelm her.
Anxiety is a common emotion that can happen to humans. It is a normal reaction to stressful and uncertain situations. But, for some people anxiety can last for days, months or even years. This is considered as a generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. There are signs and symptoms of GAD that you should be aware of. The most common symptom is excessive worrying. Based on healthline.com website, to be considered a sign of generalized anxiety disorder, the worrying must occur on most days for at least six months and be difficult to control. The worrying must also be severe and intrusive, making it difficult to concentrate and accomplish daily tasks.
Other symptoms are feeling agitated, restlessness, fatigue, difficulty to concentrate, irritability, tense muscles, trouble falling or staying asleep, panic attacks, avoiding social situations, and irrational fears. If the symptoms happen for at least six months and makes you struggle to continue with your daily life, or ever feel like your emotions are interfering with your life, it’s time to seek professional help. Licensed psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to treat anxiety disorders through a variety of means.
Now back to Kara, who was too busy trying to meet other people’s expectations caused her to ignore herself. Her mind and body’s well-being ignored, she struggled to do even the simplest tasks.
Catch how Kara is able to conquer the voices inside her head and fight through her anxiety with her close friends by her side (though not literally) in the second episode of Project Catharsis, "overwhelming thoughts: ctrl + esc".
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lockdown (alone, a wreck, and down)
Extreme introvert Alma’s second-best friend is loneliness. This was all the work of Lily, the rightful owner of the first-place rank. (She is not, however, the best sister. Alma is. According to Alma). Divorced parents couldn’t separate them before. A pandemic got nothing on them.
But maybe Alma’s gotten tired of smelling laundry detergent instead of Lily’s awfully fruity shampoo, and not having someone listen to her practicing piano. Tired of seeing empty chairs at their too large of a dining table. The thoughts that usually follow aren’t kind at all. Are her friends ignoring her? Will her workaholic mom even come home? Why hasn’t Lily replied to her texts yet?
Can extreme introverts even get lonely?
Living the lockdown lifestyle can be difficult for someone who’s used to depend on close friends to keep themselves afloat. The Covid-19 pandemic has torn away people from friends and family, as now everyone is busy trying to survive.
Short-term bouts of loneliness can occur to many people at some point in their lives. These types of feelings are typically brief and not considered chronic. However, when feelings of loneliness and isolation worsen and continue long-term, there may be more serious signs and symptoms to be aware of and steps you can take to help deal with chronic loneliness (cigna.com).
Chronic loneliness occurs when feelings of loneliness and uncomfortable social isolation go on for a long period of time. There are signs and symptoms depending on who you are and your situation. For example, inability to connect with others on a deeper, more intimate level. No close or “best” friends. Overwhelming feeling of isolation, negative feelings of self-doubt and self-worth, also exhaustion and burnout when trying to engage socially.
Chronic loneliness can affect your health. It can lead to depression, sleep disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure and mental health and emotional problems. If you are having problems with feelings of loneliness, some things that you can do is talk to your doctor, therapist and other health care professionals. Get some exercise and sunlight. Getting active and out in the sunshine can help elevate endorphins and serotonin. These “brain hormones” can boost mood, help improve sleep, and make people feel happier. Also, you can find a support group from others who may share similar feelings. It could ease symptoms of chronic loneliness.
With the sudden absence of her best friend, who left nothing but a song, she feels lonelier than ever. Alone. Confused. Lost. She found herself falling to the deep abyss of loneliness. But she has to face Lily’s music sooner or later. And if she survives this, it might just be her greatest performance yet.
Face the music with Alma in the third episode of Project Catharsis, “lockdown (alone, a wreck, and down)”.
catharsis
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