How To Take Care Of Your Mental Health During Coronavirus Outbreak
While COVID-19 or more widely known as Coronavirus is spreading at a fast pace across the globe and seem to be the headline news everywhere, it’s hard to maintain calm and not let the coronavirus anxiety get to you.
Ugh. As if we already didn’t have our own anxieties to deal with, this adds on top!
Frankly, it’s hard to not feel helpless when the virus has sprawled across our cities and even into our workplaces. It is especially when public health officials or Donald Trump say not to panic, that we feel like we should.
But here are a few things you can do to feel better in the midst of outbreak:
Strengthen your immune system
Early studies of the virus state that people with pre-existing illnesses are more likely to become ill. And health officials admit that symptoms are at its peak based on age and immune system. As Ariana Huffington puts it, “There is nothing we can do about our age. And there is nothing we can do about how fast the virus spreads or where it goes next. But there is a lot we can do to strengthen our immune system. And at a time when so much is out of our control, this gives us agency.” So, soak up that fresh squeezed orange juice and eat your probiotics. You’ll thank us later.
Manage how you follow the outbreak on the news
Pay attention to how you follow the news and how your reaction is to them.
If it makes you feel highly anxious or even close to having panic attacks, it is not worth watching. Make sure you talk about it to your family or friends. You can always cut yourself off the news for a while and ask them to update you on the major headlines. Instead, you can watch funny news talk shows like Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert or John Oliver making jokes about the virus or watch this cool song here by two Vietnamese guys to remind everyone to wash their hands. Will coronavirus lead the world to discover V-pop? We’ll see!
Engage in more self-care activities
As we wrote before in our article The Need For More Self-Care, self-care means something different to everyone. Whatever it means for you, whether it is to meditate, engage in breathing techniques, do yoga, go for a 20 minute run or take a hot bath, now is the time more than ever to engage in those and allow yourself more space to relax.
Be conscious about your self-isolation
If you are one of those who chose to pile up tinned food and stay in this weekend, make sure to stay connected with your loved ones. Isolating yourself can trigger emotions like loneliness and put you down. Remember, this can be a great time to phone or FaceTime your friends who live far and who you haven’t spoken to for a while.
Avoid negative fantasies based on fear rather than data
Let’s face it, most often times than not, we play those fantasies on our mind. Our mind is very strong and believes what we nurture it.
Surely it is easier said than done but it’ still best to give our focus somewhere else while taking the necessary precautions. Maybe it is the time to start a long tv show, read a compelling book or get some remote work done.
