Living in the time of COVID-19

The world has not seen a pandemic as severe as the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in decades. Fear looms over every country in the world as the number of affected individuals increases.

As India and the rest of the world continue to fight the deadly disease, there has been an obvious concern about how the outbreak is affecting the mental health of people worldwide. It is understandably stressful for everyone and is giving way to mass panic.

Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and can give rise to intense emotions in both adults and children. The uncertainty of the present and future can cause one to lose control in their everyday lives. In these tumultuous times, it is imperative to ensure that we develop positive coping mechanisms to make both ourselves and our communities stronger.

The government of Kerala stressed on the importance of positive mental health is opening multiple call centres at district headquarters to keep a check on the mental health of the affected individuals. “I spent 25 days in isolation and there were occasions when I felt depressed. A counsellor called me and comforted me regularly. I got better care and my favourite food including chicken biryani,” Kerala’s first coronavirus patient, who was discharged after completion of the treatment, told Mongabay-India.

However, it is equally important to address the mental health of both affected and unaffected individuals because the apprehension of the disease can be as serious and harmful as the disease itself. This is furthered by social distancing and self-isolation that is essential to curb the spread of the disease.

Various countries have already gone into complete lockdown and the Prime Minister of India announced the same for the country for the next 21 days. This can be especially difficult for a lot of people and give rise to stress that can cause the following issues:

1. Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
2. Changes in sleep or eating patterns
3. Difficulty sleeping or concentrating
4. Worsening of chronic health problems
5. Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs

The Cadabam’s Group recognises this need and is diligently working towards extending as much support as possible towards the people of both India and worldwide in these trying times. We have developed provisions for online counselling sessions throughout the day and shall do our best to help you develop positive coping mechanisms to help yourselves.

Our team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and counselors will be available at various time slots to support you through the angst of the pandemic. The sessions can include online consultations, therapy and counselling sessions. It is essential for us to take care of ourselves and reach out to a mental health professional at the first sight of distress.

Things you can do to support yourself

1. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
2. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
3. Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
4. Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.

Our organization believes that together we can overcome the most distressful of times and while this is harder for some than others, everyone deserves support through such a terrifying situation.

We urge and encourage you to give importance to your emotions and take care of yourselves. Positive mental health is extremely essential and negligence of the same can have a long-standing effect.