It’s natural to feel stressed during a difficult time. At present, the whole world is challenged with coronavirus and there are many concerns. Number of people with the infection is increasing fast, so also the number of people who have died of it.
There is no effective treatment or a vaccine, which may get available in sometime in future. Current effective measure of prevention is social distancing and self-isolation, which has led to the secondary issue of a major economic crisis. While Governments are trying to manage by locking down cities and countries, most citizens are also trying to do their best to decrease the spread of the virus. The situation is understandably tense.
In these circumstances, most people may feel stressed. Currently, it has been advised to stay at home, in most countries. It should be reassuring that it will decrease the spread of the virus, decrease the chance of more people getting infected, decrease the load on hospitals so that the healthcare system can cope.
There are various things you can do to manage stress during this unusual times. As many of the relaxing activities outside the home or in social gatherings are not be possible at this time, one can still have ways to deal with the situation. Here are some of the suggestions.
Talking and venting out the worrying thoughts help. Spend time doing some joint activities with family members.
A minimum of 30 minute session a day would be advisable; however, you can go for as much as is comfortable for your body and build it up. You should consider Yoga which is helpful in managing both mind and body optimally.
Take care of the physical health, take the medication regularly and follow the advice for your existing illnesses.
Avoid smoking, taking alcohol, or substances. They do not help in managing stress, rather they create more issues.
Plan the day ahead, as the usual routine is not there at the moment, plan to do some activities which will keep you occupied. Also plan for the days ahead and continue your work for the future. Be an optimist and do not feel hopeless.
Do something that you enjoy; think what you have enjoyed doing in the past and you should be able to find some activities. It is important to keep specific time for these activities in your daily schedule.
Have positive thoughts and actions;think about something positive that has happened to you and your family.
If there is a problem that you are struggling with, seek helpful solutions from family and friends. Sometime it may be helpful to think about all possible solutions, and pick the best one to try first. This exercise is best done by writing the problems and solutions on a paper, rather than keep worrying in the mind.
If you get negative thoughts, challenge them. Reflect with reasons, accurate information, and positivity. Discuss them with your close family members of friends.
If the stress is still a concern, seek expert help. This may be particularly relevant for persons with existing mental illness. Most of them may see the increase in their symptoms during the stressful time.
Anxiety disorder, panic disorder and depression may become more common. Some patients with obsessive compulsive disorder with obsessions of contamination and washing ritual may find the current situation very distressing. Health related anxiety and hypochondriasis may also increase, as people may worry whether they have the coronavirus infection.
Help can be available from a professional internet site, reading about various stress management strategies may give you additional tips; or check if it is possible for the doctors/psychologists to assess and advise over phone or video considering current social distancing measures.
Professional counselling even psychotherapies are available online, sometimes free.
With effective strategies, you can emerge more confident and positive from this stressful time. You may learn new ways of dealing with stress in your own individual specific way.
(The author is a Consultant Psychiatrist in NHS, UK)
