In past few months there has been enough talked about the Novel Corona virus globally and also about its impact on the human body. Soon after it started to spread vigorously and turned into a disease outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a pandemic and things changed drastically in no time. Consistent increase in the COVID-19 positive cases, unknown nature of the virus, experimentation with the medicines to control symptoms, lack of sufficient medical facilities, rising death toll, and so on. Every affected country in the world faced these issues be it a developing nation or a developed one. In order to control the spread of disease tough decisions were taken by the governments globally that changed almost everything in our lives. Some tough calls were also taken that affected the economy as well and many people suffered and still suffering due to that. The lock down rules have become a part of everyone’s life now as people are instructed to stay at home and maintain social distancing to control the spread of disease. As most of us are staying back home, there are many who have been on duty and working as front line worriers. Some are saving lives, few are patrolling to ensure safety of everyone, and rest is ensuring that our daily needs do not suffer.

Soon after the cases started to increase and death toll started to raise people begun to get anxious and fearing about the safety of themselves and their loved ones. People with clear presentation and diagnosis of COVID-19 are being kept in the hospitals in isolation, those who returned from other countries are being quarantined and rest are advised to follow home isolation and follow social distancing.

Mental health issues, their treatment, prevention, it all has been on a back seat since decades as people avoid to accept their existence due to various stigmas and taboos attached. Soon after the outbreak of this disease, there was an outbreak of the psychological issues as well. Within few days of declaration of this pandemic, government circulated various helpline numbers that were launched to help people to deal with the mental health issues caused by this situation. In recent times, mental health issues have gained attention of general public and many people are talking about them openly. Consistent increase in the helplines somewhere advocates that discussion about mental health issues and strategies to deal with them is the need of current time and such issues must be addressed and discussed thoroughly.

It’s been a much longer time since we stepped out of our homes and regular postponement of lock down in increasing the stress and anxiety in almost everyone. As human beings it is normal to feel overwhelmed in this situation and its okay if we are worrying about ourselves and our loved ones. Some sort of fear or anxiety is fine but if it starts to over-power someone’s mind and adversely affect their activities of daily living, it turns into a matter of major concern. Mental health professionals have managed to work out some strategies that can help people to cope with the situation and maintain their well being in this situation. Following are some practical guidelines that can be followed:

• Make a routine and try to stick to that. Try to follow the usual schedule as earlier like maintain proper sleep wake cycle, self-hygiene, eating habits, daily chores, leisure time etc.
• Explore your hobbies and develop love for learning. Probably this is the best time to have some “Me Time” and knowing about our own selves.
• It is very normal to have thoughts of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness in such times where many things are out of our control. Keep reminding yourself the same, that these thoughts are common, I have to accept the situation as it is, and I am not the only one who is going through this time.
• Being overwhelmed would not help but self-introspection would certainly help to analyze the situation logically. If you ever think that this would be the worst time of your life just think about those who are walking miles without food just to meet their family and reach a safe place.
• Don’t overthink about the situation as if it is not going to end ever. It may take some more time but it would surely end some day or the other. Optimism and hope works as magic sometimes.
• Learn to be kind to others. Take out some time to show gratitude to those who are working for us 24×7 leaving behind their own family lives.
• Re-orient and restructure your thinking patterns. Try to see the things from a different perspective. Find out positive aspects of the situation. Thank God for keeping you and your family safe. It is fine to live a life with limited resources than no life in absence of basic resources.
• Make yoga and meditation a part of your routine. It helps to regulate emotions and manage stress.
• Accept the fact that life will not come with all good things in life always. There may be some dark phases and we have to take the challenge to deal with the uncertainty of current time.
• In order to deal with financial crisis it is important to learn about limiting our needs. Saving much and spending less is very important in this situation so that it does not become worst, especially for those who are uncertain about their salaries and source of income.
• Engage yourself in activities that make you calm and peaceful. Such activities may be different for different people. It could be reading, writing, painting, gardening, cooking, decorating home, etc. Many things of our routine life have some sort of therapeutic value and we must explore them and find out what suits us best.
• Do not hesitate to seek or provide emotional support. At any point of time if you feel that you are losing your patience and unable to manage the stress, contact someone you trust to share your feelings. Similarly, if you see anyone around who is finding difficult to cope with the situation provide emotional support or suggest them to seek professional help if needed.
• Try to keep yourself engaged in watching and reading things that make your mind calm rather than watching too much of news or reading about the virus and its impact. Not everyone has the ability to cope with the stress provoking situations so it is better to avoid unnecessary stuff that makes you anxious about the situation. Being updated is good but spending too much time watching the news may have adverse effects. Make a fixed schedule to watch news and stick to few particular short programs. Also, trust only authentic information. Not everything being circulated on social media platforms is correct so it is always good to check the source of the information.
• Pay special attention towards kids. Very young kids may not be able to understand or process the information as logically as we can. They have been separated from their social groups like school, peers, and play groups for a much longer time and it is obvious to become fussy about the situation. Try to explain the situation to them with best to your information delivering capacity and their receiving capacity. In order to ensure safety teach them the hygiene habits through modeling by following those habits yourself. Play with them so that they don’t miss their play partners, engage them in art and crafts activities, be creative and innovative with them, keep them connected with their friends and relatives through electronic means etc.
• If you feel overwhelmed with the negative thoughts find ventilation means like writing your thoughts in a diary, sharing them with a loved one or a trusted person, or take professional help online through helpline numbers generated by government.
• Connect to the nature and greenery. If you have a garden or plants at home spend some time taking care of them. It may sound a little awkward but it really helps to reduce stress. If somehow it is not possible, you may find a place in your home, sit there with your eyes closed, run a soothing song in the background and relax.
• When we have too much time or nothing much to do, it is obvious to have some sort of sadness, dull mood, and a recollection of bad memories or broken relationships. If some of these things have happened in the past you would not get a better time to resolve them. If there are any grudges with anyone write a letter to them, ventilate your thoughts and feelings, and forgive. Posting or not posting the letter is your personal choice, but it would surely lessen the burden of bad memories related to those people.
• Many people before the lock down may have been in a dysfunctional relationship with their spouses. When there is lack of harmony in any relationship it is difficult to adjust with that and specifically in the time of lock down when people are supposed to be with each other 24×7. No relationship turns into conflicts overnight. There is a series of events that result in disharmony and such gloomy times may result in even worst condition. If anything positive in this situation could happen, would be an attempt to repair those malfunctioning relationships. In order to do that it is important to focus on the individual, rather than the issues. When we focus too much on the issues it shifts the attention from the individual. Make a list of those things that your partner did for you in past. If not always, try to remember what s/he did when you were sick or in need. This will inculcate the feeling of gratitude in you that leads to forgiveness. This strategy can not only repair the marital relationships, but any relationship that has suffered any kind of conflict in past.
• Be sympathetic towards those who have suffered the infection or lost their loved ones during the pandemic. Don’t be judgmental or emotionally deprive them. You may not make yourself available for them in person but you could definitely provide emotional support through electronic means.

These are some very practical aspects of the current scenario and ways to cope with them. These strategies may not work immediately but regular practice of these tactics will definitely lead to positive results.

Keep reminding yourself that this is a situation which is being faced by everyone globally and no one is supposed to be blamed. Someday or the other conditions will improve and they may not remain the same always. Take this as an opportunity to thank the supreme power to keep you safe with your family. Make a list of most important things that you need to live and you will surely be able to figure out what is necessity and what is luxury. This exercise will definitely make you think twice before having any negativity about the current situation.

This article is a small attempt to help those people who have been staying back home since long and unable to cope with the situation. For any queries related to this article or any other mental health issue please feel free to write me back at info@talktocure.com or visit www.talktocure.com

Be at home and be safe.

Best wishes,

Neelam Verma

Clinical Psychologist

Talk to Cure