MHM Magazine

Issue 1 | 2023 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 7 MHM psychologically impacted in one form or another. Some respondents gave accounts of an exacerbation of physical and psychological challenges. Others indicated a new set of psychological challenges, such as emergent anger and a new inability to emotionally regulate. Social relations between households were strained, as many felt unable to effectively entertain outsiders. Within the home, 31% reported problematic family relationships, and feelings of isolation, even amongst introverts, were worrying. A fraying social fabric, coupled with novel and deepening mental health challenges are a recipe for additional anxiety-laden shock waves rippling through society as we grapple with load shedding. How, then, have we been coping? Even in this relatively privileged sample of largely white, urban, female and somewhat affluent sample, respondents were deeply strained by the financial burden of load shedding, and so many could not thus simply reach for the solar power solution. Some people went along with the idea of suspended existence by sleeping (44%) or “numbing out” on their phones (16%) during load shedding slots. Others chose to respond to work pressure, trying to meet professional obligations during outages (32%). Some chose to take a pro-active break and performwellness activities such as meditation, yoga or spending time in nature during scheduled power cuts (26%), and still others chose to exercise (20%). Interestingly, there was also a group of respondents (20%) who insisted that they would normalise load shedding, either through the acquisition of alternative sources of power or via planning around the schedule. These South Africans were determined to limit the effects of load shedding on their daily lives, and within their mental realities. During load shedding I take some “me time after [completing] household chores” – Evelyn I “carry on as normal” – John How successful were each of these groups, when it came to reducing their personal experiences of load shedding induced shocks and psychological distress? The more pro-active respondents experienced far lower levels of angst than their sedentary counterparts. Those who planned around the schedule, did not need to buy expensive solar power solutions to cope, though they did expend a great deal of mental and emotional effort. There was clear evidence that pro-active copers, not only normalised their load shedding experiences but that this partially insulated them from the psychologically distressing anxiety associated with this crisis. The key to building self-insultation seems to be channelling our reactions, as opposed to embracing detrimental passivity. We can do this by pro-actively planning and claiming load shedding time slots for productive and wellness activities. However, we must approach the building of a psychological scaffolding to insulate against anxiety shocks with caution and a healthy dose of realistic flexibility. Unplanned outages and slow restoration still come into play, for solar batteries are not infinite in capacity, and planning requires the solid stability of schedules to ensure we have power outside of load shedding times, in order to succeed. This is not always possible and to we need to encourage the erection of flexible psychological scaffolding. During load shedding “I Meditate. [Do] breathing exercises. Consider all the things I'm grateful for” - Thandi Even if most of us cannot afford to go solar in real terms, we can consider what natural resources we possess to help us to go psycho-solar. Just as the sun is available to all, so is the possibility of internal normalisation. This normalisation does not imply mute acceptance of the mistakes that led to load shedding, rather it implies the creation of psychological batteries, or spaces to conserve energy to allow us to better cope with known anxiety shocks. The findings of this survey matter because they highlight the potential building blocks of our inner shock absorbing infrastructure. Without question, load shedding has led to the disruption of normality, but norms are a human construct, and we are empowered to re-create them. New routines, finding ways to get sufficient sleep, and a refusal to give away our right to exist under adverse conditions are part of the new normal for resilient survey respondents. In the words of survey respondent, Nkosini, “I put my head torch on and do the best I can”. We may not know when the power will return, or how to fix damage to the electrical, communications and water infrastructure, but we can (and should) build our own psychological insulation infrastructure and frame the crisis on our own terms. All respondent names cited in this article are pseudonyms. References available on request. “Family interactions become limited because everyone goes to their respective bedrooms when lights go off. Most of the time is at 6pm in the evening and when it comes back at 8pm, it's difficult to go back and interact. Family dynamics have changed” - Mel “I ammore prone to things that I never was before, such as road rage, losing my temper and even thoughts of committing physical violence” - Vic “To be honest, just last night I had loadshedding (6pm to 9pm - we have it for 3 hours in el). And because I'm trying to develop a schedule for when I get home, I came back late fromwork to the dark and instead of following my proposed schedule, I just sat in the dark and I cried myself to sleep as I am someone who is dealing with depression (diagnosed mdd) and suicidal thoughts. As silly as it sounds, sitting in the "dark" as someone who lives alone, it doesn't help” - Kenni “Resurrected Severe Depression that had long been under control. The future holds no promise whatsoever &, though suicide is not an option, I long for death to end it all. I ammuch more susceptible to colds, flu, stomach upsets & odd infections. I have lost weight & seldom sleep well. Loadshedding is but one symptom of rampant, imminent collapse of society in SA…. There is no cause for optimism in & about SA. The future is bleak & hopeless” - Matt