By Dr. Geeta Grewal, Cosmetic surgeon Anti-aging, beauty, and wellness expert.
The (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children.
Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. Mental Health is an important part of overall health and wellbeing. It affects how one thinks, feels, and acts. It may also affect one’s handling of stress, relate to others, and make choices during an emergency.
Mental Health has taken a center stage with this pandemic affecting each and every individual directly or indirectly. The impact of COVID 19 on our lives has been multifold, multidimensional and huge. Health and Mental Wellness of the workforce and dependent being hit at the same threshold and at the same time. New challenges are thus scary.
Handling these day to day challenges with optimum skill is paramount for health and mental well being .The mental stress has a ripple effect it starts from top landing to the weakest in the chain, eg if man of the family is stressed he will take the full brunt out on his spouse or elder or kids , eventually reaching to kids in the family .It’s time now for all of us to be each other’s support ,strength and power , it’s the time to build each other not to destroy.
Also Read: PREVENTIVE MENTAL HEALTHCARE
- We should start with self-care, spending ‘ME’ time is so important so that you have healing and repairing time. The best time to do this is before bedtime and when you wake up. It would be a good idea to have 10-15 minutes flashback on the day and do a self-analysis of challenges you faced during the day and think if you could have handled them in a better way. You should try to be helpful to yourself and others in your circle. Be mindful of your thoughts and words, do weed the unwanted negative thoughts on a regular basis.
- Taking care of your friends and your family can be a stress reliever, but it should be balanced with care for yourself. Helping others to cope up with stress is important such as by providing social support, which can also make your community stronger. During times of increased social distancing, people can still maintain social connections and care for their mental health. Phone calls or video chats can help you and your loved ones feel socially connected, less lonely, or isolated.
- In this, the stress is of course doubled. You need to be self-aware and identify the trigger factors of stress. Restore or reclaim your inner strength with this simple breathing exercise: take a deep inhaling breath from nose hold to the count of three and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this breathing till you are calm and in control of yourself.
- One should take adequate rest and keep yourself well hydrated and eat healthy fresh food.
- Also, exercising regularly, mindful meditation, and decreasing your screen time will keep your mental feed or mental diet to help and sustain a healthy and stress-free lifestyle.
