April 23, 2020 | Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico | By Saraí Espinoza, Southeast Mexican Union
This collective crisis called COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected every one of us in many ways, be it economically, socially, and obviously, physically. There is one effect, however, that we should emphasize — mental health.
It is usually said that collective crises can generate high levels of stress as they are being experienced but the consequences of those crises can persist and last for months or even years after they have subsided. This is the reason why the care that we give to our mental and emotional health is essential. While our priority is to keep physically healthy, there is no doubt that our mental health will have a significant role in maintaining our physical health.
I want to suggest five tips you can use during the lockdown and the time you are spending at home.
- Set specific times. Setting a time is not the same as following your routine. A routine implies repeating the same activity time after time. Setting a specific time implies dividing your time into segments to spend in the various tasks you want to accomplish. For instance, spending your morning working, noon in family activities, and your afternoon for personal tasks. Human beings are used to scheduling their activities, something which gives them a sense of familiarity and organization. This is why having a day divided in segments can help your productivity and organization of tasks.
- Productivity. During these times and under long periods of isolation, our productivity usually decreases to a point where we feel tired even without a lot of activity. Keeping our productivity does not imply only working at our occupation from home, but also learning and applying something different or new. It could include trying a new recipe, exercising, immersing yourself in an art or musical activity, etc. What differentiates productivity from regular work is applying the new thing that you have learned to your daily life.
- Connection. Often, long periods of confinement can also generate symptoms of depression, and you could end up feeling not only anxious, but also discouraged. This is why fostering and deepening emotional and meaningful bonds will be a key to keeping your support network sound and active. It is a bond that can and should be strengthened as you share, coexist, communicate, and relate to others.
- Filters. The information we receive from media and social networks is often panic-inducing; our minds are so powerful, that such information might feed and increase our anxiety levels to the point where we become ill. There is a type of conditions called psychosomatic – those where bodily symptoms are caused by mental or emotional stress. Therefore, it becomes important to carefully filter the information we receive. No doubt, it is important to stay in touch about all that is happening around us. However, our tracking of current events must include filters which allows only for the information we need to take care of ourselves, preventing information that stirs our fear and anxiety, which could trigger all types of ailments.
- Empathy and action. Many of us might feel empathy or compassion toward people who do not have the opportunity of staying at home, those whose jobs make them vulnerable to the virus. God gives us empathy toward others, and compassion comes from Him. Thus, it is beneficial not only to feel those emotions but also to act upon them. It has been scientifically shown that helping others is therapeutically beneficial both for the recipient and for the one offering help. If you have the opportunity of helping others, whether with a lot or just a little, do not hesitate to do it, as your actions will be a great benefit first of all for yourself.
Finally, collective crises include an advantage. You may be wondering how something like this could have an advantage. A crisis of any kind will always be an opportunity to learn and to grow accordingly. You could learn to be thankful, to value what you have and the people you can count on, as well as the opportunity to give recognition to professions and trades that we often overlook.
When this crisis ends and we have not learned anything, then it will prove to be useless for our lives. If, on the contrary, we use it to learn something about ourselves and other people, then the crisis will have a purpose and will benefit us all. Remember that in His Word, God says that “all things work together for good to those who love God.” (Rom. 8:28). It is a promise that will be certainly fulfilled once this crisis is over.
Saraí Espinoza-Ruiz is a clinical psychologist currently working as Academic subdirector of the Southeast Institute (Instituto Universitario del Sureste) of the Southeast Mexican Union.
Translated by Marcos Paseggi