'The hugs will return. Get ready', the message from the Association of Depressive Disorders to the people of Aragon

The hugs will return. Get ready', is the message that the Association of Depressive Disorders of Aragon (AFDA) has sent to the population of the community to avoid the general fatigue and boredom that the covid-19 pandemic has produced in their daily lives.

This campaign aims to launch several messages "aimed at generating changes, at directing people's lives towards something valuable, instead of waiting for this crisis to end without doing anything," one of the psychologists said in statements to Europa Press. health workers of the Association, Sara Sin.

During this year, "uncertainty, changes and stoppages" have caused many citizens to "let life go by" attitude, instead of being active and developing actions that motivate them, within the limitations imposed by the coronavirus, it has detailed.

"We have seen our work increase during this stage, we find ourselves in situations of economic and human loss that generate stress, depression, anxiety. Therefore, emotional problems have skyrocketed, both in people who were well, and in those who were already working on their mental well-being.

For all these reasons, AFDA has decided to give "a boost" to all these people to help them find ways to move forward in their life project, without having to wait for anyone to end this "critical" situation that has destabilized them.

The campaign of the Association of Depressive Disorders, disseminated on posters and marquees in the city of Zaragoza and on its social networks and website, revolves around four main messages: "The first message is 'Prepare and connect', with which We intend to maintain social contact and choose who we spend our time with, even with restrictions, because sociability benefits our spirits.

'Get ready and move' is the second slogan that makes up this project. In this case, the objective is "not to fall into routine" and to practice physical and cultural activity because they are "beneficial" for health, said the Association's health psychologist.

This initiative also invites you to escape from the digital world with 'Get ready and disconnect'. "It is very important that people distance themselves from time to time from the overstimulation, from the overinformation that we have due to the pandemic, because we spend a third of our lives connected," said Asín.

Finally, 'Prepare and take care of yourself' works on taking care of yourself and others. It is about collaborating with the community and letting yourself be helped, since these are factors in the face of the consequences of stress. "In these months of confinement and loneliness, helping and caring is one of the most comforting things you can do, in addition to allowing you to maintain social contact," he added.

Increase in depression in pandemic

This project was born after a community process of detecting what actions the population has taken to maintain their well-being during the health crisis and identifying which private spheres are being more complex to maintain.

"In addition, it is about sending a message to citizens to take care of their mental health," said Sara Asin, considering that "it is necessary at a social level to make visible the existence of depressive disorders on a daily basis, normalize them, treat them and not be ashamed. This campaign helps to make that visible.

'The hugs will return. Prepare' has been designed by AFDA, in collaboration with the Zaragoza City Council, the Government of Aragon and the Aragon Higher School of Design.