With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing every day, the UAE government has ordered the public to stay at home. This is not only happening in the UAE but almost in other countries in the world.

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WHO uses the term ‘physical distancing’ as one of the ways to avoid further spread of the virus within the community. This social action asks you to keep your distance to each other, at least 1-2 metres, avoid gathering spaces and practice good hygiene.

Spending days or weeks (or even months) at home with limited resources, a drop in daily activities, financial strain, and social contact can take a toll on anyone’s mental health, including younger kids. Let’s talk about how to manage your mental wellbeing during this COVID-19 situation.

Mental Health Issues During COVID-19

If you are now spending time working from home due to limitation made by the government officials, here are some mental health issues that you may experience. 

1. Fear and anxiety

Due to the spread of the virus, you may feel worried and anxious if yourself, your family and friends are contracting COVID-19 or spreading it to the others. In this time of quarantine, it is normal too if you have a concern about work, school, obtaining food and personal supplies.

2. Boredom and loneliness

Sudden stop from work and other activities interrupt your daily routine and can result in feeling of bad mood. The longer time spent at home (during this stressful time) can also trigger boredom and loneliness.

3. Anger and frustration 

The loss of personal freedom during the quarantine can often lead people to feel frustrated and irritated. You may also develop anger toward those who don’t take the physical distancing or other measures diligently because it will make it harder to control the spread of the virus within the community.

How to Cope It?

First of all, you must know that you are not alone in this. Almost all people in the world are currently practising physical distancing and quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19 so the health sector can work at its best capacity to treat people who have the virus. Here’s how you can cope it.

1. Limit your news consumption to reliable sources only

COVID-19 is becoming a hot topic everywhere. So it is very easy to see news coverage about it on the TV to social media. But, too much exposure to media coverage can lead to an increased feeling of anxiety and fear. It is recommended to only read news from reliable sources, like WHO.

2. Do your daily routine

Even if you are working from home now, maintaining your daily routine, as usual, can help both adults and children to preserve a sense of purpose and order despite the current situation.

Try to do your daily routine as usual, including wake up at your usual hour, eat breakfast, work in your usual hours and sleep in your usual hour, too. Integrate other healthy and fun activities in between as needed to stay away from stress and boredom.

3. Stay in touch with other virtually

You can use technology to stay connected with your family and friends. You can make phone calls, text messages and video call to talk with your loved ones. You can also use social media to converse with each other. 

4. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Eat well and balanced diet, get enough sleep and keep exercise in your home to keep yourself healthy. Try to avoid consuming alcohol as a way to cope with all the stress from the quarantine. 

When to See Doctor?

It is completely normal to feel anxious during this period of time, but if you experience extreme symptoms like inability to carry out daily routines, trouble sleeping, fatigue, ongoing headaches, and difficulty concentrating, seek help from a health-care provider.

Go to Okadoc.com or download our mobile app, and choose your preferred method of meeting your Mental Health & Psychiatry doctor.

Together, we all can overcome this!