Something you can control: vaccination

As virus season approaches, Chicago area health departments are urging residents to get their updated 2024-2025 vaccinations for influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.

Vaccination is an important safety layer for physical health. It remains our most effective tool for avoiding the worst outcomes from respiratory viruses, including severe illness, long COVID and hospitalization.

But as a practicing psychologist, I think it’s equally important to talk about the mental health benefits to vaccination. While vaccination isn’t an antidepressant, it is a healthy and proactive step we can take to resolve uncertainty and claim control in our lives.

We live in a world rife with concerns that lie far beyond our control. The outcome of the presidential election, wars overseas, news of school shootings – these are all uncontrollable realities that breed uncertainty, which can have a profound negative influence on our mental health.

Here’s the good news: whether you and your family are protected against viruses this fall is something you can control. Best of all, vaccinations are covered by most insurances.

This year, in addition to flu and RSV vaccines, Chicago area pharmacies are stocking two types of updated COVID vaccines: the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna that we’ve used since 2021 and a protein-based vaccine by Novavax that uses the same technology that’s been in most flu vaccines for decades. Whichever type you’re most comfortable with, there are options for you.

There’s so much going on right now that’s out of our control, but whether a virus takes a chunk out of our life this season is something that we can influence. We buckle our seatbelts when we drive because it’s a simple safety step that makes a huge difference. Vaccination works the same way.

Please consider giving your body and your mind, an additional layer of peace this year.

Aaron Weiner

Lake Forest