Emotional distress and self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic in women from an indigenous migrant cultural collective in Mexico City

Abstract

Introduction. During the coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) pandemic, restrictive measures were implemented to reduce contagion. However, severely decreasing social interaction also negatively impacted the economy, particularly that of indigenous groups.

Objective. This article seeks to understand the emotional distress identified by a group of indigenous women residents, as well as their self-care practices, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico City.

Method. A digital qualitative study was undertaken since the fieldwork was conducted in person and online, using various Internet platforms, which served as a field scenario, data collection tool and a means of continuous connection with subjects.

Results. Anecdotal records were obtained from the subjects, who identified categorizations in the collective organization of the indigenous group, which became a support network for mobilizing official material resources. Information was also obtained on the way the women engaged in the self-care of their emotional distress in a range of ways with a sense of immediacy, through physical, spiritual, herbal, and psychological resources. They observed how women managed to cope with their situation and continue caring for and supporting their families to enable them to get by, distinguishing between those who were providers and those who were dependent on another provider.

Discussion and conclusion. The pandemic, together with social restrictions, created stressful situations, causing various emotional problems among the indigenous collective. Nevertheless, their capacity for self-management and self-care enabled them to cope with these conditions in the midst of structural contexts of violence, poverty, and social exclusion.