Life can be challenging and may include many stressful situations. Globally we are encountering an unprecedented turn of events because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Many of us are facing an unwanted intrusion of emotional stress and worries in our life at the backdrop of the viral outbreak. It might be a financial worry for a businessman, career uncertainty for a student, parental issues in handling children constantly in a lockdown mode, fear of contracting COVID, professional uncertainty etc.
Many can cope with stress and worries and handle situations and get adjusted with the changing scenario or get acquainted with the ‘new normal’. But many of us, because of poor coping capacity, poor emotional or social support, vulnerability to mental illness will buckle under this stress and will go on to have an emotional or psychological breakdown.
Stress can lead to features of anxiety, depression and ultimately in many cases the unfortunate event of suicide. We should all be wary of the subtle signs of stress, anxiety and depression. These are usually sleep disturbances, tremors, breathlessness, irritability/anger, loss of interest in activities, low mood, remaining withdrawn, poor appetite, fatigue, hopelessness, increased substance abuse, crying spells etc.
Handling stress
One important aspect to keep in mind that COVID 19 pandemic is a temporary phase. But life is very unpredictable. Trauma, negative events, unforeseen consequences are bound to happen in life. So it is of utmost importance that we give impetus to mental health awareness and know how to handle our stresses and worries. This will help us to maintain our emotional wellbeing and help us to tide over any adverse situations in our life.
Building resilience
One factor that buffers against stress and improves our coping mechanism is resilience. Resilience is the ability to steer through serious life challenges and find ways to bounce back and to thrive. Building skills to promote resilience in young people is an important strategy in the amelioration of mental health problem.
Persons having resilience will have courage and motivation to move forward, have problem solving skills, will try new things, will recognize his and others’ feelings, will have humor, will have the power to stay centered, willing to take responsibilities and will have a tenacity to accomplish goals. We should try to inculcate resilience in our children.
Build their confidence and optimism in life. Give them small responsibilities. This will give them a sense of purpose and improve their pro-social behavior.
Try to increase their thinking skills; this will help to solve their problems later on. Treat them as adults and include them in your family talks and seek their opinion.
Empower them to make decisions and guide them in the correct way. Foster a loving, caring communicating relation with your child. Be a positive role model. Handling a child during lockdown phase might be quite frustrating. Juggling between the child, your work, home chores can take a toll on you. Create a very flexible and consistent routine having structured activities as well as free time. Along with their regular studies, some time might be given for extracurricular activities like reading a novel, listening to music, craft making etc.
This period is a sublime time for parents to teach children to develop critical life skills and responsibilities. Catch bad behavior early and redirect your kids’ attention from a bad to a good behavior. Praise him for a good behavior which will get reinforced. Adults should try to persevere, stay calm and be flexible during life’s challenges.
Always view setbacks as temporary. Avoid generalizing a problem to every aspect of your life. Avoid blaming yourself for things beyond your control. Practice an attitude of gratitude by focusing on what you have and positive events from the day. We can all find many positives in the course of the day. Don’t expect perfection or that others should always meet your expectations. Remain away of all negativities. Recognize and accept personal limits. Set up realistic and optimistic goals. Do not overburden yourself with things and jobs beyond your ability and things beyond your capacity.
Always try to view change in your life as normal and a challenge instead of a threat. Be ready for failures. They are a part of everybody life. So maintain a hopeful optimistic outlook and always plan for failure. Do something you enjoy like gardening, cooking, listening to music, playing an instrument, watching a movie. At times volunteering are good, helpful ways to help you feel better and relieve stress. Good sleep hygiene is a must along with regular exercise and proper diet to ward of stress. All these improve our immune system which has a salutary effect in stress management. Mindfulness meditation focusing on the present and yoga can play an instrumental role in reliving any stress.
Seeking professional help
But it is always easier said than done. Many people may not improve by practicing the above tips that I have just addressed. If the severity of stress and anxiety is too high you should always seek professional help from a mental health professional like a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. Proven scientifically based treatment guidelines are there and anxiety, stress and depression are 100% treatable.
I urge everyone to break the shackles of stigma and discrimination attached with mental illness and speak out openly about your mental health problem if any and seek help. We mental health professionals are there to help you. Seeking help decreases lifelong negative consequences and fosters a healthy society. Finally do not lose hope because all darkness in a tunnel is temporary and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
(The author is an M.D. - Gold Medallist and a consultant psychiatrist. He is also Assistant General Secretary, IPS Assam State Branch. Views expressed are his own)
