Taking Care of Your Mental Health During COVID-19

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.
Read More:
- The 7 Most Common Menstrual Disorders
- Myth vs. Reality: What Does a Panic Attack Feel Like?
- Eid Al Adha: Healthy Tips for a Safe Celebration
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.
- Click here to book an In-person consultation appointment
- Or here to schedule a secure Video consultation
Together, we all can overcome this!
More Articles
Back to School: Prepare Your Kids for School After COVID-19
With more kids going back to in-person classes this year, with the COVID-19 Delta variant on the rise, this year’s back-to-school won’t be as usual.
Fresh Recipes To Cool Down The Summer Heat
From the easiest summer salad recipe to simple desserts, these easy summer recipe ideas will keep your summery breezy.
Why Watching TV Is Good?
Do you ever think that spending hours in front of the TV is not a healthy option for spending time? What if we told you that this has several benefits?
How To Heal & Prevent Sunburn?
Sunburn is a skin burn that occurs if exposed to the sun for too long without precautions. Here are some tips on how to heal sunburn and how to prevent it.
What To Eat For Suhoor? Easy And Healthy Ideas
For people who fast in Ramadan, Suhoor is considered as body fuel, this is why it’s important to have a balanced meal. Here is our healthy recipes selection
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Could You Be At Risk?
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)? What causes it? How to detect it? And how to treat it? Learn more about how a billion people are impacted…
5 Reasons To Start Working Out Now
You’ve probably heard countless times how working out have many benefits for the whole body and mind. Here is 5 reasons why you should start working out now
Virtual Consultation With Doctors Through Okadoc
Okadoc now offers virtual consultation with trusted doctors and hospitals. Learn more here!
Reasons Why You Always Feel Hungry
Hunger is a natural signal to your body that it needs more food. There are many explanations why you constantly feel hungry, read more to discover them.
The 7 Most Common Menstrual Disorders
Some women have little or no problems during their periods, while others have different menstrual disorders due to many causes. Learn more about this topic.