With the threat of another wave of the pandemic looming, students have resigned to re-installing Zoom, businesses have transitioned online with half the capacity sitting six feet from each other, queues outside hospitals have widened and eyesight have reached maximum straining capacity.
How does mental health fare in such an increasingly connected world? Not greatly. Even though mental health has been made more accessible in terms of different videocall platforms offering one on one counselling, the willingness that an individual has to reach out to seek help still greatly varies.
There is also a constant fear of tomorrow, magnified by facts and number reported in the news about deaths. Media plays a huge role in increasing the general levels of panic and anxiety that an individual has. Considering that previous social interactions are complete cut off or limited, an individual living through a pandemic obviously faces greater stress and lesser quality of mental health.
Due to the intensity of the stressor, the levels of anxiety and depression that a person faced was higher than before. During the initial days of the pandemic, it was found that people who continued to stick to some semblance of routine, who did their regular exercises and who stayed connected with loved ones or lived with someone fared better than people who did not. As always it seems important for mental health and speaks volumes about us as inherently social creatures to have someone there for us, a person or community to whom we are accountable to, to whom we have common interests and are therefore bound to.
Those who had someone to talk to fared better and reported lesser feelings of depression than those who did not have someone during the pandemic. It is not uncommon that these are also the kind of antidotes that one would prescribe to a person who faced feelings of depression and anxiety.
An alarming sign to watch out for is when an individual immediately loses interest in much like routine tasks. Anhedonia is simply losing interest in tasks one did before. This could coincide with the fact that a person starts to isolate themselves by withdrawing themselves from the outside world. Isolating oneself, not taking enough care towards self and isolating from others as well as lack of sleep hygiene, basic dietary requirements are all symptoms of decreasing mental health.
So how exactly does a person take care of their mental health? Firstly, by staying in touch with loved ones through available platforms to reduce the feelings of loneliness that might prop up. Second to have some semblance of a routine. A routine adds structure to the day and gives the individual a sense of control and expectancy of what is going to come, which is important during chaotic times. Third, a balanced diet of nutrients and vegetables and drinking the recommended liters of water. Fourth, taking time off from the screen to do things one actually likes- gardening, painting, reading etc. Joining clubs with similar interests also bolster a feeling of enthusiasm in the individual. Taking time off the screen also reduces possibilities of eyestrain, headache. Another important element would be recognizing and sitting with the fear that most of the numbers reported by the media may not be accurate, sometimes it could be an act in creating sensationalism. It may not necessarily be true and even if it were, it would not be of much use to an individual other than reinforcing the fact that one needs to stay safe and sanitize.
Meditation and prayer, controlled breathing and a good sleep hygiene also immensely improves the odds of a person’s mental wellbeing. For those who are interested and could afford it in terms of time and money, a person could also seek out personal therapy to be able to have a safe and nonjudgmental venting space to share hopes, fears, etc.
REFERENCES
Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health | University Health Service. Uhs.umich.edu. (2022). Retrieved 16 January 2022, from https://uhs.umich.edu/tenthings.
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