How to cope with Mental Distress during the Pandemic?
Being in lockdown for the past one month in India has been really stressful & for some countries, it has even been more than a month.
Not in the wildest of your dreams, you would have imagined being stuck in a situation like the one we all are currently facing — The COVID-19 or the Coronavirus disease.
The ongoing outbreak of this virus has already created a huge amount of stress and anxiety amongst the human race. People are constantly glued to their television screens listening to any kind of latest update on COVID-19 virus.
There are news updates and videos forwarded on a daily basis which can be overwhelming. It is scary and being in a situation where we are clueless about how to fight this virus can cause a lot of psychological distress.
Although precautionary steps are being implemented such as nation-wide lockdown, people being instructed to follow social-distancing, self-isolation/quarantine, regular washing of hands and sanitizing etc. but it is difficult to fight an invisible enemy.
We know Earth is quite resilient as she has survived times from the extinction of dinosaurs to mammoths.
Humans, on the other hand, are quite a social being. After a hectic week of work schedule, people used to look forward to a short weekend get-away, gatherings, watching a movie in theatres or a casual dinner outing. Therefore, being in lockdown and not able to meet people face to face is quite troublesome. No amount of messaging or video chats on Zoom or Whatsapp is going to replace the void of being connected directly.
Now that people are working from home and have no option of going out, it is becoming difficult to keep themselves excited and entertained throughout.
As per Reuters report, the coronavirus economic freeze could cost 47 million jobs and send the unemployment rate past 32%, according to a Federal Reserve estimate.
Hiring at many firms already has ground to a halt.
After the pandemic ends, there may be many cases of post-traumatic stress disorders.
So, how are we trying to cope with the distress?
- Stay Informed but Avoid Misinformation
With the kind of online information available on various social media platforms or news channels, it could be quite overwhelming. Obsession with too much media coverage about tragic events will only cause panic and negative thoughts.
Hence, it would be a good practise avoiding random media reports & forwarded video content. Do not fall into the trap of these fake and unreliable sources as this creates a ripple effect of distress amongst communities just for the sake of getting more views for their videos. It’s always best to crosscheck the sources and rely on facts.
- Follow a routine
During these difficult times, we might fall short of things that excite us and we may slowly lose interest in doing things which eventually will lead to depression. To avoid this, we should follow a routine daily. This could be anything, people can start exercising, meditation, reading books or writing a journal.
Following a routine will keep the mind busy and avoid random negative thoughts that could be stressful.
- Pursue your ambition/goal
This is the best time to turn your goals into action plans. So many people are complaining about being bored and exhausted with the self-isolation. But if you look at the wider perspective, it is the perfect opportunity to develop a new skill set or pursue your ambition/hobby that you’ve never really got time for.
As we all are aware of the declining economic conditions during the pandemic. It is scary to even imagine how many of us are going to be in a situation where we might end up losing our jobs. So its always better to keep yourself prepared and have different sources of income such that it does not affect you to the core.
Once the lockdown gets over and we start with our normal routine, wouldn’t it be amazing that you could present yourself with additional skills. These self-developmental actions will keep you a step ahead than people who have not invested time in themselves for their self-growth and development.
This is the time to become self-aware and reflect on one’s life. I hope, we all overcome this with much positivity and happiness in coming future.
