The state of pandemic as we experience it can be frightening for many and affect our mental health. There are many things we can do to support and manage our psychology during these times.
Here are some tips that we hope will help you take care of your mental health, at a time when there is a high risk of potential threats to our physical health.
Take care of our mental health while staying at home
Protective measures dictate that we stay at home and go out only for shopping at the supermarket, for health reasons or necessary work, to stay two meters away from other people and to wash our hands as soon as we get home.
We have understood this very well, which means that most of us will continue to spend a lot of time at home and many of our regular social activities will remain on the ice.
In this case, we will be greatly helped if we try to see this time in our lives as something not necessarily bad.
Try to keep in touch with our people
Conditions force us to 'walk' at a different pace of life. Let's look at this period as an opportunity to get in touch with people in a different context than usual. There are ways, social media, e-mail and phones of course that we can use to continue to feel close to the people we want.
But try not to be emotionally charged, and remember to regularly evaluate your social media activity. Are there specific accounts or people that increase your anxiety or stress? Think about silencing them or not following accounts or hashtags that make you feel anxious.
Revive our days!
We can also create a new daily routine that prioritizes self-care. You give us, if nothing else, the opportunity to read books that we have always wanted but could not find the time, to watch movies, theatrical performances from the internet, to do daily exercise routine, or to work on various relaxation techniques.
We are still trying to rest and finally see all this as a new, unusual experience, which can have its benefits.
Caution: We make sure that our broader health needs are met, as well as that we have several prescription drugs at our disposal.
Beware of news sources
We must also be very careful about the sources of information we choose. Fake news and misinformation in general are factors that can fuel stress and negative mood. Instead, accessing reliable sources of information about the virus can help you feel better in control.
Talk to our children
The involvement of our family and children in the way we protect our health is essential. We need to be vigilant and ask the children what they have heard about the outbreak and support them psychologically if necessary, without worrying them.
We need to minimize the negative impact that the whole situation has on our children and explain the facts to them. Discussion of the news with them is necessary, but without exaggeration and details regarding the activity of the virus.
In other words, we do not avoid the "scary issue", but we deal with it in a way that is appropriate for our children's perceptions.
Try not to make assumptions
It is right not to judge people and not to think about who is responsible for the spread of the disease. The coronavirus has now been shown to affect anyone, regardless of nationality or gender. Targeting is not the solution to this major problem, on the contrary it is the basis for creating new problems and injustices. Calmness and sobriety when we consider such issues are the best advisors.
By Dr Angel,
Aggeliki Koskeridou
Holistic Doctor – Counseling Psychotherapist
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
MSc Health Psychology