How to cope mentally during the Coronavirus pandemic

Everyone reacts differently to difficult situations, and it is normal to feel stress and worry during a crisis. But multiple challenges daily, such as the effects of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic can push you beyond your ability to cope with the situation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you may experience stress, anxiety, fear, sadness and loneliness. Mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, can worsen. Worries and anxiety about COVID-19 and its impact can be overwhelming. Social distancing makes it even more challenging. Let us see how to overcome these problems.

Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. Stick close to your typical schedule, even if you are staying at home.

Regular physical activities and exercise can help reduce anxiety and improve your mood. Find an activity that includes movement, such as freehand exercise and walking in a room or on the roof.

Choose a well-balanced diet. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and protein-rich diet which will help you to boost your immunity. Avoid loading up on junk food and refined sugar. Limit caffeine as it can aggravate stress and anxiety.

If you smoke you are already at higher risk of lung disease. Because COVID-19 affects the lungs, your risk increases even more. So this is the best time to quit smoking.

Set aside time for yourself. Even a few minutes of quiet time can be refreshing and help to quiet your mind and reduce anxiety. Many people benefit from practices such as deep breathing, yoga or meditation. Listen to music, or read books — whatever helps you to relax.

Constant news about COVID-19 from all types of media can heighten fear and stress about the disease. Limit social media that may expose you to rumours and false information. Also limit reading, hearing or watching other news, but keep up to date on national and local recommendations.

A distraction can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression. Enjoy hobbies that you can do at home, identify a new project or clean out that closet you promised you would get to. Doing something positive to manage anxiety is a healthy coping strategy.

Do not become overwhelmed by creating a life-changing list of things to achieve while you are at home. Set reasonable goals each day and outline steps you can take to reach those goals. Give yourself credit for every step in the right direction, no matter how small and recognise that some days will be better than others.

If you need to stay at home and distance yourself from others, avoid social isolation. Find time each day to make virtual connections by phone, email, text messaging etc. Enjoy virtual socialising and talking to those at your home.

Keep yourself healthy and stress-free during the transition period, it will all be over soon.

The writer is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Z H Sikder Women's Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka.