Millions of people in the country and in the whole world are growing concerned over the uncontrollable spread of the infamous 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). This cause thousands of people to purchase things they don’t necessarily need; this sparked up panic buying in food and medicines; and this caused millions of informal workers nationwide to disobey rules and regulations.
Here in our country, as the number of infected people ballooned, so did the extremities of controlling the communities. There were countless news stories about what is happening; from regular and basic quarantine to a series of changes to it. But what really is the situation of our country?
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The Philippines’ situation
To summarize everything that has happened, the entire island of Luzon has been placed in an enhanced community quarantine. This is the restricting of people to travel to far-off places; the entirety of this is that it prohibits people from leaving their homes.
Towns, cities, and other municipalities have followed; and overall, the goal of the enhanced community quarantine is to contain the virus.
People growing more distressed
As good as we hear it, if we live in places where that disease is far-off, it’s not clear for us to have it. Today’s climate is causing all of our health and immune systems to be bunked down.
Many of us might have experienced a flu, colds, or even slight coughing; but that doesn’t mean that we have the virus. Millions of us are growing more scared, more weary of the virus. What should we do to improve our mental health?
Worrying would not help us either. So, the Psychological Association of the Philippines gave a couple of the most beneficial and most necessary mental health tips to mend the situation.
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As per them, it is just normal to think over and worry about our health; even the health of our family members and our loved ones. In addition to that, it’s also normal for us to think about our jobs, our finances, and about when the pandemic will come to an end.
Mental health tips
The listed these mental health tips to help everyone cope with the current pandemic and the current situation.
- Most of the people problematize what they cannot control. Instead, they need to do things that they can control. As per them, they need to take concrete steps to follow the recommendations of the Department of Health and other local agencies.
- These include the frequent washing of the hands, disinfecting surroundings, staying at home when sick, and even practicing social distancing.
- Social media is a tool used by people to spread news; sometimes, even fake news. Mental health tips would be just one of the few ways you can counter it but by being exposed to news and social media, it can cause problems. They suggest limiting the number of hours you are exposed per day. A significant amount of news can bring distress and worrying. It also is noting that not everything you see online is real.
- Most of us would feel bored, even those people who were allowed to do work from home (WFH). To counter this, you need to have a program so that your day would go according to plan. A regular routine should be followed. As per the PAP, “this can give a sense of purpose and order to your day.”
- Stay healthy. Consider the following health tips:
- Eat nutritious food to increase resistance to sicknesses and illnesses
- Take dietary supplements (vitamin C, iron, multivitamins, etc.)
- Get plenty of rest (should be at least seven (7) hours every night)
- Drink plenty of water. Should be at least 12 glasses of water per day
- Exercise regularly to naturally strengthen the immune system
- Talk to friends and relatives. Some of them might be taking this more seriously than you; it can take a toll on their mental health if they don’t have someone to talk to. Check in on your friends and family members; initiate a video call, chat with them, etc.
- If you have the capability, it would be good to contribute and empathize with people who are severely affected. Giving what you can to those in the frontlines is something that feels so satisfying. The PAP says, “If you are an employer, check on your employees and find ways to support them.”
- Should you feel afraid that you might have caught the virus, connecting or consulting local healthcare practitioners would be good. For instance, if you’re unable to cope with the situation; if you are experiencing problems sleeping because of the outbreak; if you can’t eat well; or if, overall, you’re not able to help yourself, approach your healthcare practitioner.
- The PAP suggests that if you are having troubles with your health, “inquire with mental health care providers for assistance or online/tele-counseling services during the community quarantine. The PAP is discouraging face-to-face interventions at this time.”
- You can do dozens of things while you are at home, you can:
- Do arts and crafts at the comfort of your own home
- Practice cooking by checking out videos and recipes online
- Watch movies, TV series, and other clips and videos online
- Clean your room; clean your house; clean your car – clean clean clean!
- Set-up an inflatable pool and enjoy it with friends and family who you have at home!
- Those are just some of the things you can do at home, there are a ton more!
Those are just few of the mental health tips that the PAP suggested everyone. You might be thinking “it is something obvious,” and it’s true. However, because of the severity of the situation, thousands of people are slowly forgetting the basics.
Remembering the important things
Aside from those awesome mental health tips, the PAP also said that as people, we should always remember that:
- A majority of Scientists and health experts said that about 99.9% of people who have been infected by the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) will recover; and it goes naturally with less medication.
- The entire globe is on the move of finding a specific vaccine or a cure for the COVID-19. Thousands of researchers, Scientists, and health experts are working ’round the clock for it.
- The Philippine government is doing everything it can to alleviate and to make the situation lighter.
- Help is coming from all parts of the country. Private sector companies are helping and are giving donations; celebrities; athletes; and even government units are on the move.
- Helping each other won’t require much. Communicate with friends and family. We have the Internet! We must use it for our own benefit!
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If you are part of the demographic who is concerned about the growing number of COVID-19 cases, you are not alone. Chances are, millions more of people around the whole world is currently thinking about your situation.
The good thing about all of these is you can practice your mind. These mental health tips are things you can use for other problems you might experience in the future!
Source: The Philippine Star
