Covid and mental health

The covid pandemic hasn’t been easy on anyone of us. People are suffering a lot, either by their
physical health or by mental health. The sufferance of grief, fear and a lot of stress is normal
but definitely difficult to cope up with. Faced with new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, home-schooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues, it is important that we look after our mental, as well as our physical, health.

Reduce the stigma!

Stigma is associated with a lack of knowledge about how COVID-19 spreads a need to blame someone, fears about disease and death, and gossip that spreads rumors and myths. Stigma hurts everyone by creating more fear or anger toward ordinary people instead of focusing on the disease that is causing the problem. It can also make people more likely to hide symptoms or illness, keep them from seeking health care immediately. This not only affects the infected person but is menacing for the people around the contaminant. Stigmatized individuals may experience isolation, depression, anxiety, or public embarrassment. The best way to start dealing with the mental and the physical health is to reduce the stigma and enlighten yourself and others about the facts and the myths connected to this pandemic.

How to deal with grief and loss?

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Grief and losing a loved person instantaneously can be very hard on our mental health and
especially during the widespread of the corona virus many people are losing their closed ones and have to deal with a lot of grief. It is a normal response to loss during a traumatic event.
Grieving the loss of a loved one while coping with the fear and anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic can shatter people apart. Social distancing, “stay-at home-orders,” and limits on the size of in-person gatherings have changed the way friends and family can gather and grieve, including holding traditional funeral services regardless of whether or not the person’s death was due to COVID-19.
Some actions you can take to help you cope with feelings of grief after the loss of a loved one:

1) Connecting with other people virtually via video calls.
2) Creating memories or rituals by keeping the covid situation in mind.
3) Asking for help from others- Grief counselor mental health services, support groups,
or hotlines, especially those that can be offered over the phone or online.

How to deal with stress?

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Hans Selye is father of stress research. He says that if people reach to the third phase of stress which is “exhaustion” it may lead to weakening of the immune system. It loses its ability to resist stress and gradually diminishes. Many people in covid pandemic have faced extreme stress that they reach the exhaustion stage, especially the unemployed crowd. Distress causes the interconnection between the mental and physical health. So the question is how to avoid distress which can cause exhaustion and harm our both mental and physical health.

1) DEAL WITH THE STRESS– Find the cause of your stress try to figure out what it is about
and do what’s necessary. Take actions accordingly because escaping from stress is a
temporary solution but it wouldn’t help in future.
2) SUBLIME THE STRESS– If the stress is harming you the best way is to divert your mind
into something constructive for the time being.
3) AVOID PROJECTION OF STRESS– Projecting your stress and blaming another person is not
something one should do. This is the basic cause of stigma.
4) MEDITATE– Meditating is advantageous. Having an adequate routine helps to avoid
stress in such pandemic.
5) FIX MEETINGS WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST– In case of excessive distress feel no shame to fix appointments with a certified psychologist and seek help. IT’S TOTALLY NORMAL!

Self-care!

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You may experience a lot of timidity during this pandemic. Fear and anxiety can overwhelm and cause strong emotions. It’s important to take extra care of yourself in a situation like this.
Small ways to take care of yourself are:

1) LISTEN TO MUSIC– Music helps reduce stress and give a sense of calmness and our
mind releases oxytocin. A hormone which is related to positive, happy feelings.
2) SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY– Many teenagers are repetitively asked to spend time with
their family, why so? It’s because humans are social being and in such pandemic it is
not suitable to go out and meet friends and family staying together gives the sense of
warmth. Talking about your personal life is not necessary, even if you talk about something else gives the sense of satisfaction to be able to talk to someone
physically rather than virtually.
3) PAMPER YOURSELF– Do things which make you happy. Go for a long bath, play games,
communicate with your friends virtually, relax, sleep for a little longer, eat your favorite meals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder of the importance of integrating mental
health into preparedness and response plans for public health emergencies. Majority of the
population has been going through serious stress and depression. It’s important to know that mental health is important and during such an epidemic is necessary to take care of our mental health.

Some smartphone apps which might come in help-
1) MindShift
2) Virtual Hope Box
3) CBT Guide
4) MyLife
5) Wysa (therapy chatbot)

Mental health guidelines:
1) Connecting trust(NGO) : +91-9922001122, +91-9922004305
2) COOJ Mental Health foundation: +91-8322252525
3) Lifeline : +91-9088030303

https://www.thelivelovelaughfoundation.org
Link for other mental health helplines.