COVID-19: Impact on mental health and stress management
The Recruitists
Covid 19 stress blog
COVID-19 pandemic spread at the end of 2019 worldwide, threatening the health of
countless worldwide. It is a disease with pneumonia-like symptoms and of unknown etiology.
COVID-19 has affected more than 6 million people worldwide. This condition is stressful for
all age groups and has changed people’s lives socially and economically. The COVID-19
pandemic has been fearful and stressful due to the high mortality rate and factors like
economic instability, unemployment, and insecurity.
The main reason for COVID-19 pandemic stress is that it has spread globally, and no exact
treatment or vaccination with 100% efficacy for all variants is available. So it is normal for
people to experience a wide range of thoughts and feelings during this unpredictable
situation.
Stress can cause feelings of fear, sadness, worry, difficulty in sleeping, frustration, and loss of
concentration and decision-making. The level of stress can be episodic, acute, or chronic.
Persistent stress can lead to chronic stress, which causes a variety of diseases like stroke and
heart problems. Stress makes us lazy, demotivated, and loss of interest in things. People are
facing stress, fear, anxiety and depression. Actions such as social distancing and lockdown
are necessary to reduce the chances of becoming infected, but this can make people lonely,
stressed, and increase anxiety. Stress causes physical reactions like headaches, trouble
sleeping, pain, irregular bowel movements, loss of appetite, nausea, flushed skin, and fever.
The most significant impact of stress on humans is worsening mental health, which could
lead to drug use and increase alcohol intake.
As the variants of coronavirus continue to spread, anxieties about COVID-19 also increase. The
best way is to avoid stress is to keep your mind fresh by following these steps:
Getting plenty of sleep,
Morning walks,
Inhaling fresh air,
Stretching your muscle so you can relax your body,
Healthy eating,
Get preventive measures as recommended by your healthcare professionals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has dramatically evolved. New video
apps along with gaming systems are being introduced. These apps allow virtual
meetups and playdates with friends. These are good to get along with your family and
friends, catch up, play board games and watch series and movies.
During lockdown periods, it is important to enjoy your “me” time. You can relax at this time as
this is your time. It will help you to unwind your skills which have diminished over time. You
can do your favorite things such as:
Dance,
Exercise,
Yoga,
Eat your favorite snack,
Watch your favorite series,
Puzzles solving,
Play cards and board games.
COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on students’ learning and practice. Many
students have developed psychological problems which are affecting their learning abilities
and overall personality. Educational systems of physical classrooms are switched to virtual
classrooms. This system can be hectic for students as there are many issues in virtual
learning, such as:
Internet connection problems
Computer availability
No hands-on practice
Stressing of eyes due to long screen times
Health problems
All these factors lead to stress as there is no physical coordination in students, and their
confidence level is also affected. For the management of anxiety, students should interact
with each other through virtual meetings. Students should balance their studies, friends,
social activities, and creative learning to cope with stress. If students cannot overcome their
anxiety, they should seek professional help to focus on their studies for effective learning.
Adults can somewhat control their stress and fears, but children can feel more afraid and
anxious about COVID-19. It’s an alarming situation for parents if their child feels stress and
anxiety at this early age. So parents must listen to their kids and calm their worries. Parents
should educate their kids about the virus with accurate information and guide them through
social distancing, wearing a mask, washing, and sanitizing their hands not to catch the virus.
Parents can also engage their kids in mindful and creative activities like the following:
Coloring
Painting
DIY
Sketching
Gardening
Fear and stress of being COVID-19 positive can be overwhelming and cause the emotion of
being lonely. If you do get a positive reading, you don’t have to isolate yourself from the
world entirely. You can cope with this deadly virus by connecting your loved ones using
social media, such as WhatsApp. You can video call them and enjoy yourself virtually with
your family, this is an excellent way to combat stress and anxiety.
Stress can affect your immune system, which increases the likelihood of catching the virus. You
can manage your stress by the catharsis of body and mind. You have to sit quietly, close your
eyes and free your mind from unnecessary thoughts and focus on your breathing. This practice
will refresh your mind and fill you with a new determination for achieving your goals. By
learning a creative skill like painting or gardening, you can use your creative ideas to color your
surroundings. It will help you to focus and create something new. The best thing to do is to be
careful of yourself and others around you, follow recommended guidelines and look after your
health, physical and mental.
Written by Kainat Fayaz, Medical student at King Edwards Medical University.
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