Author: Dipanwita Sil
Psychologist
Coronavirus has affected all aspects of our lives and the constant news about the pandemic can feel never-ending. Not only is it impacting our physical health but it is taking its toll on some people's mental health too. Staying at home, social distancing, and self-isolating is crucial in stopping the spread of COVID-19, but they can affect us psychologically.
Not only is the threat of a new virus scary, but many people are also facing stressful life challenges. Lots of people who were working in pubs and restaurants or who are self-employed have lost jobs or had their incomes cut. Social distancing and self-isolating mean avoiding seeing friends and family and many people are worried about vulnerable loved ones.
In addition, it can be hard to escape the constant barrage of bad news in the media too, which can add to feelings of stress and despair.
Having said that, experiencing a very low or very high level of anxiety both can turn out to be harmful. People with no/ low anxiety may remain unaffected by the real scenario of COVID 19. On the other hand, the feeling of high anxiety may create hindrances and cause lapses in the activity of daily living which may lead to depression, insomnia, panic attacks, and other medical health conditions. So, it is important to note whether one’s anxiety level is within normal limits or going out of control.
Some measures can be taken as a coping strategy during lockdown for those who are experiencing mild anxiety-
Overwhelming oneself with too much information may hamper well being: Updating oneself about the current situation has become the need of the hour, but information overload may lead to fear, stress, and anxiety which may affect overall mental health. As social media and news channels are flooded with updates about pandemics, the right way to deal with it would be to screen out information logically and check the source of the news. Some social media news is often fake, one needs to be careful about being misled which may further affect mental health.
Activity Scheduling: It is evident that everyone’s regular routine has been disrupted temporarily, so daily schedules can be modified in a way that shapes our lifestyles positively. Activities may include daily chores, maintaining self- hygiene along with those who have planned work from home, where most of the time can be managed.
Practice self-care: It's easy to slip into the habit of sleeping late, spending all day in your nightclothes, and eating junk food, but looking after yourself is essential for your mental health. Even simple tasks such as washing your face can feel difficult sometimes, but they can make a big difference to the way you feel. Healthy eating, fixed bedtime, lot of hydration are the key to self-care. On the other hand, stress anxiety can be kept away by practicing yoga, meditation and it also helps to keep oneself mentally sound.
Stay connected: We are social animals, our need for social contact cannot be discarded as we all are going through a period of social isolation. The best way would be to remain connected with your loved ones through telephonic conversations, WhatsApp audio or video chats, skype calls, etc.
Reframing your thoughts: In the current situation, it is obvious that one can generate negative thoughts and feel stressed. So individuals can try to reframe those thoughts by trying to remain calm first, then trying to identify the situation and further analyzing whether the thought or emotional consequence is appropriate to the situation or not. Further, they can think of alternative ways of adapting
Look for errors in your thoughts: There is a need to keep a check on what every individual thinks and to be aware of whether they are being rational or irrational in their thoughts. At times, humans may be prone to magnifying things or drawing conclusions based on a single piece of evidence about their current situation. Such cognitive errors can create negative patterns of thoughts and further increase anxiety.
Rediscover your inner talents and hobbies: As everyone’s constantly busy lives have been suddenly disrupted and have slowed down, this can be considered a window of opportunity to explore one’s innate capabilities or talents such as- dance, music, drawing, crafts, cooking, etc. One bookworm can revise his/her wish list of books and start reading their favorite books during this time.
Family time - a positive side of lockdown: Prior to lockdown, when life was running at a fast pace, time constraints for the family interaction were obvious. So one may look at this lockdown more positively and think of this time as an opportunity where it allows us to explore each other’s likes, dislikes; Parents, and children engaging in activities likable to both and so on. This lockdown allowed people to come closer to one another and spend more quality time with family.