COVID-19 Pandemic: Mental Health in Focus

Do you ever wonder how mental health is carrying on amidst the stresses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic? You may have been suffering a great deal of stress lately from financial strains. Unexpected career delays could be another one of the things you are currently experiencing. Worst of the imaginable, maybe even unbearable symptoms of a disease or the death of a loved one.  You may be experiencing any of these and feel like you have no chance to process things and recover. To top it all off, you go through these without physical touch and support from the people you trust. All of these may have you thinking about how to cope with the pandemic to get through trying times.

This isolation can make you feel alone. Alone in your room where walls may already have started closing in on you, where there seem to have no name to what you are feeling. “A wraith-like peril spread across our seven seas; empty shells and barren streets confined domestic quarantine. How the itching for lost touch is deafening” – a song penned by Iceage called Lockdown Blues seems to get it – lockdown blues seems like it.

Does the COVID-19 Pandemic pose an unforeseeable mental health crisis?

Waiting for this Pandemic to end to allow us all to go back to our everyday lives and routines seem to be in vain. Considering, it has already been over a year since the Pandemic started. We have already been made aware of the preventive measures to protect ourselves and others from the virus. But has anyone recently checked on how people are doing mentally and emotionally? People may seem physically healthy but can still be internally slowly declining.

Typically, people need to deal with negative emotions and untoward events at their own pace and way. But with the concurrent stressors brought about by the Pandemic, recovery has been made difficult to impossible. Hence, as much as we put efforts into fighting off COVID-19 and preventing it from spreading, measures to prevent mental health concerns should be at par. In supplement, ending the stigmatization of seeking professional help should come after. Just because we do not see the symptoms of a mental problem directly does not make it less of a threat to our health or the well-being of our society.

People are innately social and interactive beings.

This trait plays a big part in our nurturing as humans. Its significance is practically next to the basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing. Addressing these then contributes to answering the question of how to cope with the pandemic.

Initiated in 2019, The Mental Health Million Project by Sapien Labs was to gather information and analyze the essence of face-to-face socialization on one’s well-being. So far, the trend shows that there has been a drastic decline in people’s mental health as different challenges increased – all these under circumstances of limited face-to-face socialization.

When we figure out how to cope with the pandemic, we must focus on mental health. So, how can we now care for our mental health, considering pandemic restrictions and health precautions? If you’re thinking about how to cope with the pandemic, here are some recommendations to help turn your lockdown blues into lockdown HUESS.

Tips to overcome Lockdown Blues:

“Hobby” your way through the pandemic!

Unlike before, we now have the time to learn new skills and activities. More than the fact that it is the best way to spend your days at home, it is also one of the most therapeutic things to protect your mental health. Research that used the Pittsburgh Enjoyable Activities Test (PEAT) found an association between higher PEAT scores and better physical function, more positive psychosocial states, and lower levels of depression and negative emotions (Pressman et al., 2009). This research affirms that you are on the right track if you are already engaging yourself in various activities and learning new things each day. If you are looking for new hobbies, you may want to check out Alexandra Potora’s 21 Low-Cost Empowering Hobbies Worth Trying!

Unload your mind!

While it is true that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective measure to manage anxiety and depression, ventilation of thoughts and emotions in other ways is, too. For example, talking to your trusted ones, journaling, and other creative means such as singing and songwriting may be of help. According to Sapien labs’ research in 2020, journaling helps people process the emotional effects of isolation. However, while journaling, you should also give yourself an honest assessment, knowing that seeking further help from a mental health counselor or professional is okay. You can find out more about mental health services on psychotherapy and its indications here.

Exercise daily!

Are you on your #2021FitnessGoals? Great! Daily exercise and workouts will help you get to that goal with additional benefits on your mental health such as mood enhancement, stress relief, increased self-esteem, decreased incidence of depression, and better cognitive function (Biddle, 2016). Of course, make sure you are precautious and check with your doctor before exercising. But, generally speaking, exercising is one of the cheapest and most underrated ways to prevent depression and anxiety. Click here for sample workouts using alternative equipment available at home, or if you are into more intense workouts, try making your dumbbells or weights with this DIY guide. So, let’s get that body moving!

Do regular intervals of “Social Media Fasting”!

With the consequent transition of our daily face-to-face transactions to online alternatives, social media’s utilization has drastically increased. Moreover, social media has also been necessary to stay informed, especially with the near-constant updates nowadays. However, a healthy interval of social media fasting would be okay to unwind the mind. Sometimes, we acquire more mental stress when we see news and updates relevant to the pandemic (CDC, 2021). While it is just right to keep yourself updated and socially aware, fasting from time to time can help your mind feel more rested and less stressed.

Lastly, Support one another!

The pandemic, indeed, has rendered us all socially isolated and lacking the human touch. Our situation left us making the most of our small circle at home, if any, and telecommunication with our distant dear ones. It has been said that telecommunication is better than no communication; therefore, let us give one another the support we can as much as we can. Let us be available and present for people who might need our listening ear. We should not be battling this pandemic on our own.

With mental health awareness on the rise, more people are being educated about the importance of seeking professional help. Together with that, the availability of mental health services and mental health counselors is also increasing. That sums up bringing focus to mental health and how to cope with the pandemic. If you have a business providing such, talk to us and be heard at Streamsoft Consulting, Inc.!

References:

AlexandraPotora. (2016, July 2). 21 Low-Cost Empowering HOBBIES Worth Trying. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atSlSj7aeYg.

bcheng311. (2020, April 1). AT HOME WORKOUTS: EQUIPMENT ALTERNATIVES. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f47b_f58ouY.

Biddle, S. (2016, June 5). Physical activity and mental health: evidence is growing. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.20331.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html.

Chand, S. P. (2020, October 15). Cognitive Behavior Therapy. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470241/.

From the Department of Psychology (S.D.P.). (n.d.). Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities With… : Psychosomatic Medicine. LWW. https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2009/09000/Association_of_Enjoyable_Leisure_Activities_With.5.aspx.

Iceage – “Lockdown Blues”. Stereogum. (2020, April 2). https://www.stereogum.com/2078986/iceage-lockdown-blues/music/.

Javed, B., Sarwer, A., Soto, E. B., & Mashwani, Z. R. (2020). The coronavirus ( COVID ‐19) pandemic’s impact on mental health. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 35(5), 993–996. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3008

Nazish, N. (2019, September 20). 10 Sure Signs You Need To See A Therapist (And How To Find The Right One). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2019/09/20/10-sure-signs-you-need-to-see-a-therapist-and-how-to-find-the-right-one/?sh=16ae8e23501b.

sapienlabs.org. (n.d.). https://sapienlabs.org/mentalog/the-importance-of-face-to-face-socialization/.

sapienlabs.org. (n.d.). https://sapienlabs.org/mentalog/the-importance-of-face-to-face-socialization/.

YouTube. (2020, January 6). How to Make Homemade Dumbbell For Free – DIY Weights. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k99evo1WbAo&t=42s.