COVID-19 Taught us a Useful Lesson

“It was during the pandemic that people started to rethink their priorities in life. They began to think about what is essential for their happiness and well-being. Most importantly, during the pandemic people began to care for each other”.

Emma Sargsyan
Psychologist
Armenian Red Cross Society

I have been working with the Armenian Red Cross for more than 3 years. Before the pandemic, I mainly had to work with patients suffering from tuberculosis – which is not easy. However, the challenges we faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be different and completely atypical.

Within the very first days of the pandemic, the hotline of our organization has become extremely relevant. We, psychologists, started receiving calls continuously and provided remote psychological first aid to the population.

Mostly there were cases when people called in panic, who found out that a family member had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and did not know how to act; what safety measures to apply, how to help a loved one and how to protect yourself from the threat of the virus.

The COVID pandemic put a lot of stress on us all, but it also taught us a useful lesson – it was during the pandemic that people started to rethink their priorities in life. They began to think about what is essential for their happiness and well-being. Most importantly, during the pandemic, people began to care for each other. They realized that health is a valuable resource that should be constantly taken care of.

Mostly there were cases when people called in a panic, who found out that a family member had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and did not know how to act.