How to Manage Mental Health during the Lockdown
Mental health is one of the most widespread social issues in the world. On every level, personal, local, state, national, or international, most individuals are affected by mental health issues. Some of us might have personally experienced a condition, or seen the suffering of a loved one which might have affected us. As we face the current emergency, the outbreak of a contagious disease, like the current Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), there are higher risks of our mental well-being getting affected. This can get daunting for all us. It is a social emergency like no other, and it can affect our mental health deeply if we don't pay heed.
The looming threat of a disease amidst a worldwide lockdown and the widespread negativity around it created by the social media and news channels can affect the mental health of a person. While it is important to stay schooled during such a crisis. There are many things we can do to support and manage our well-being during such difficult times. Although these steps may look small, they go a long way in keeping you safe and sound to carry on with your day to day activities.
It is vital to help your friends, family and yourself look after your mental health at such a time when there is much discussion of potential threats to our physical health.
Here We List Certain Tips For You To Cope In Times Of Crisis:
Maintain Your Own Health
The government is telling us to stay at home and only go outside for groceries, health reasons or essential work. We also need to follow social distancing and stay two meters (six feet) away from other people and wash our hands and get sanitized as soon as we get home. This means that many of us will be spending a lot of time at home, and many of our regular social and economic activities will be derailed for some time.
This time can be helpful for you if you see it as a period in your life, and not necessarily a bad one, even if you didn't choose to be in it. It will mean maintaining a different flow of life, a chance to be in touch with others in different ways than usual like being connected with other people regularly via technology on social media, e-mail or the phone, as it is equally important and is still a good way of being close to the people who matter to you. This will go a long way in keeping you healthy and sane in such a time of social distancing.
Plan Your Day
It is very much essential to create altogether a new daily routine that prioritizes looking after yourself. You could try being a book worm like the early days or aim to complete all the movies on your checklist. Also, by having an exercise routine, you can build-up your desired body, one can even browse on for new relaxation techniques, or finding new knowledge on the internet. There are many meditation and workout apps that are offering free subscriptions now. You can use it and get expect courses that will be useful in the long run.
Try and learn something that you have always wanted to learn but didn't have the time for it during this time. Take some rest and view this as a new if unusual experience, which might have its latent benefits on your health and well-being.
Awareness For Hygiene & Sanitation At Home
Moreover, there should be hygiene advice to be abiding by; these should involve washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and hot water. If you can't wash your hands straight away, use hand sanitizer and then wash them at the next opportunity.
You should also invest in the hygiene of your home and sanitize and organize your spaces. Get into some spring-cleaning routine and get brownie points from everyone while staying healthy.
Avoid Rumors & Fake News
Above all, it is important to understand that rumours and speculation can fuel anxiety when already there is so much to deal with. That is why it is must avoiding speculation and lookup for reputable sources on the outbreak rather than believing everything on the web.
One should regularly check up on their social media feeds and consider muting or unfollowing accounts or hashtags that cause you to feel anxious. Having access to good quality information about the outbreak can help you feel much more in control.
Invest Time In Your Kids & Family
Involving our family and children in our plans is important to maintain good health. We need to be alert and ask children what they have heard about the outbreak and support them, without causing any false alarm. Children are the most vulnerable in the family and get affected easily. Thus, we need to cut the negative impact it has on our children and explain the facts in a simplified way. Be as truthful as possible. We should prevent any 'scary topic' but engage in a way that is appropriate for them. Try to expect distress and then make sure to cut it.
Focus On Having A Positive Attitude
Many a time we get caught up in feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed as we read news about the outbreak, especially if there is a history of a trauma or a mental health problem in the past, or if you have a long-term physical health condition that makes you more vulnerable to the effects of the outbreak. It's very much important to acknowledge this kind of feeling and remind one another to look after our physical and mental health with much more caution. We should also avoid indulging too much in habits that may not be helpful in the long term, like smoking and drinking.
One should regularly try and reassure people around them to avoid anxiety and keep a check on those who you know are living alone. In difficult times like now, one should try to accept people and must not involve in judging them. Avoid jumping to conclusions about who handles the spread of the disease or anything that could lead to baseless stereotyping in people's minds. This kind of topic will have a quick impact on people. Remember that this infection can affect anyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, and sex.
Help Others
Remember that compassion and love are the best healers for everyone. As many people with limited means are suffering now, we can do our bit to help them. Donating food, clothes, medical utility items and least of all, care and compassion will go a long way in healing us as a society. If we stand together in times like these, it will help us come closer and care for one another in better ways. If we stay united as a community, we will beat this calamity in the long run.
All the above strategies are important to combat the current crisis. Building a routine while working from home is also crucial. The family members need to build productive routines, engage in activities like music, meditation, playing indoor games, watching movies together and sticking together. It is vital to stay connected with friends and family members. While practising social distancing do not get emotionally distant and stay in touch. There might be a silver lining to this cloud as we have enormous technology that can help us to cope up with the quarantine. And always remember, this too shall pass!
