PROTECT YOUR PEACE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The definition of a normal scenario is changed, sanitization has shifted from a choice to a necessity and death rates across the world have been terrifying. The COVID-19 patients and non-patients both are at chances of suffering from not only physical but mental harm as well.

Yes, both are at risk, while quarantine has disturbed schedules and caused people to have limited movement and unlimited time to think which may not be productive at the end of the day, for people who do not have an infectious disease, there are a lot of factors which can lead to an unhealthy mind. There are chances of various mental disorders also developing.

For those who are tested positive for COVID-19, there is not only physical weakness but also an unlimited number of unanswered questions and different point of views. In such a situation fo chaos, while the hospitals are filled with patients, different doctors have different plans, there are chances of others being infected, and there is no medicine available, it is different to have a certain action plan.

Having said that, since immunity is playing a major role and many people are opting for natural immunity boosters as a tool of protection and healing, the same should be followed in case of mental health.

With death becoming more and more visible and impactful either from COVID-19 or from murder and suicides, every news is impacting us more than usual and this makes the need for protection fo one's sanity and peace of mind during pandemic all the more important.

MENTAL EFFECTS OF QUARANTINE

There are chances that one may suffer from these mental effects on the health due to quarantine during the times of pandemic. While from personal relationships to professional reasons can be the cause of these effects, one might experience:

• Fear

• Sadness

• Numbness

• Insomnia

• Confusion

• Anger

• Post-traumatic stress symptoms

• Depressive symptoms

• Low mood

• Stress

• Emotional disturbance

• Irritability

• Emotional exhaustion

HOW TO COPE OR BECOME MENTALLY IMMUNE?

Each individual's reaction to different situations vary but despite one's nature, you may at some point feel overwhelmed, lonely and stressed, so how to cope:

For coping, different factors come into the picture including:

Your Current Mental Health: If you have previously existing mental health conditions, including depressive and anxiety disorders, it can also impact your ability to cope.

HOW YOU DEAL WITH STRESS: 

While some tend to be fairly resilient in the face of stress, if you have that then you may have coping skills that will allow you to manage being quarantined without many negative effects.

Your Personality: Extroverts, introverts and ambivert, each of these personality types may feel differently in similar situations. While extroverts may feel lonely and isolated, extroversion is characterized by a high need for social interaction.

HOW LONG YOU ARE IN QUARANTINE? 

It is important to notice that if one has been in self-quarantine for months, the duration of quarantine may have different is a key factor in determining how well people cope. Research suggests that minimising the length of quarantine can help. The longer restrictions last, the more pronounced the effects are.

ESTABLISH ROUTINES:

The most disrupted part of people's lives right now is the ability to not be in your normal daily routines which can leave you feeling directionless as you try to figure out how to fill all the hours of the day.

For those who are working from home, it can be helpful to structure your time much like a regular workday which can be a challenge as there are many people are factors that might be there at home as well.

This can be a challenge, however, if you're at home with other family members, including children, who are now home all day as well and are also left without the structure of a normal school day.

CHOOSE BEING ACTIVE:

Even relatively short periods of physical inactivity can have an impact on your health. With home-based workouts, not only you will have your physical health but your mental health intact as well. They can help you moving even when you are stuck inside the house while you don't need a bunch of expensive workout equipment to get a good workout.

You may just need a few things to be active in the home including exercise videos, body weight exercises, online workouts, and fitness apps

COMMUNICATE: 

It is not as easy as it sounds and so as difficult as one imagines. Communication is a form of staying in contact with other people that not only staves off boredom, but it is also critical for minimizing the sense of isolation.

You can stay in touch with friends and family by phone, text, and social media. Moreover, you can have a limited amount of conservations with your family as well, limited, as one may also remember to have their personal space even in a family.

You can have regular meals with others in the home, check-in with friends and family each day by phone, use different forms of communication including phone, text, email, messaging, and video call, try supporting others; reassure a friend who feeling stressed out or worried and reach out via social media.

STAY INFORMED, NOT OVERWHELMED: 

While we have information from the world at our easy disposal now, it is not always the relevant one. In the case of this pandemic, as mentioned above, it is difficult to formulate an action plan, which hospital should I visit, how can I find a new job, etc, etc. On the other hand, there is news from all over the world of deaths from COVID, racism, inhumanity, nepotism, and various other topics, every negative news is impacting us more than it would have a year earlier.

The most essential thing now becomes a source of information. Stop receiving information from social media forwards and handles which are not verified or genuine sources, cable, and other sources and focus on getting helpful information from trusted sources.

Remember that kids are stressed, too and they tend to receive information from their parents or other adults. So, when one talks to the children, it should be informative, age-appropriate, and reassuring. Calming your anxiety can help calm the fears of children in your home.

ASK YOURSELF WHY YOU'RE DOING THIS: 

When you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or not at ease, try to question yourself why you opted for quarantining yourself.

The answer is that there is a deadly virus out there are if you get potentially exposed to it, you will be risking lives and so you are avoiding unknowingly spread the illness to other people. This selfless action focused towards 'flattening the curve' or allowing the spread of the illness helps keep the number of sick people at a level that hospitals can treat means doing your part to prevent the spread of the disease.