Covid-19! Who’s living in this era (with all of his senses) and not familiar with it? More or less, it has now integrated in our lives. Not only this, it has changed the lives of most of us! Corona has emerged in our lives as a pandemic, and as a serious predicament. It has not only trembled our lives, but also the whole world!
Corona cases have reached 131,485,472 including 2,861,472 deaths and 22,732,028 current patients in the entire world (Data as of 4th of April, 2021 worldometers.info). Such an immense number of patients, which is increasing day by day, have not only affected our physical health, but also our mental health, and undoubtedly, later is more important! What to do with a fit and healthy body, when your brain isn’t working, when you are unable to think, judge, recognize anything? So for all of us, mental health is most crucial. But unfortunately, this pandemic has totally disrupted our minds.
HOW COVID-19 AND MENTAL HEALTH RELATED?
Since the time corona has emerged, we have been seeing the discussions of corona cases, dying people, and lockdowns everywhere. This has been arising many questions in our minds making us think about them and when we find ourselves unable to answer these questions, we get depressed.
Would this pandemic be always there? Would we die if we catch corona? Living in the homes will make us die of hunger and going outside would result in covid! Which side do we go to? What’s the solution? What we will do, if there is a lockdown everywhere? These questions are circulating in our minds 24/7, making us stressed and leading us to mental issues, and answering these questions right now is the need of time.
Would This Pandemic Be Always There?
I think this question is circulating in the minds of most of us. To answer “Yes” or “No” is very early because scientists have not researched covid-19 completely. Corona, itself isn’t going anywhere! What we could do is to introduce a better vaccine, which is being done in most of the countries. “The coronavirus is never going away. No matter what happens now, the virus will continue to circulate the world” (theatlantic.com).
“Prevention is better than cure”. In the case of the corona, it’s perfectly applicable. Wear a mask, use sanitizer, stay away from people, do not shake hands, and if you see symptoms or test positive for coronavirus, quarantine yourself as soon as possible.
Am I Gonna Die If I Catch Corona?
As we are seeing deaths around us, making us think that if we catch corona would we also die? Is corona a fatal disease? This thought depresses us and makes us mentally disturbed.
You have a very little chance of dying if you test positive for corona. It depends upon your immune system. According to WHO, the mortality rate is 3.4% (as of 3rd March), which is quite low as compared to many other diseases. It means if 1000 people are acquiring coronavirus, then 34 out of them have a chance to die. It does not mean that you should be relaxed now because you might be one of those 34?
Lockdown Everywhere!
Lockdown is also a big question in front of us! As lockdown and curfew are the ultimate solutions to stop the widespread of corona cases. But lockdown brings many problems with it such as joblessness, poverty, lacking economy, and much more! This in the end leads to unhappy people.
Now the question is what we could do in this regard. Honestly speaking, have you ever noticed that this increase in corona cases is because of us! If we had followed all the SOPs prior, we would have shielded ourselves from corona very efficiently. But never is too late, you can still do this! Help your society in decreasing covid cases and get rid of this lockdown, as soon as possible!
Stress Management in A Healthy Way
What you could do right now is to manage the stress conditions. But how could you do that? Here you go with the tips:
Do not watch, read, or listens to news stories too much
Yes, knowing about “what’s happening” is very necessary, but it does not mean that you have to listen and read every news and every analysis regarding Covid-19! So, please keep yourself away from all this depressing news! Limit your screen time to relax.
Pass time in taking care of yourself
Having a healthy immune system can act as a helping and to save yourself from Covid. So, take care of your body through meditation, exercise, yoga, and get plenty of sleep. You can also fulfill your hobbies, do some gardening, cook and eat healthy food, etc. Follow SOPs and if possible, get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Be creative
We do not have time all the year to evaluate our abilities. Now it’s the time to be creative, by creating new things. You can search for the ideas and crafts in GOOGLE and prove yourself an artist! This will help you to get away from everything depressing happening in the world for a small period.
Help others
The best way to feel calm even in this era of depression is to help others! You can help the people financially or provide them with food and grocery items. You can help the people who are fighting with COVID by providing medicines or other essentials at home as they cannot go out. Be others’ support system. This will give you a wave of internal peace and calmness. All of your depression would go away.
Conclusion
Corona is not a joke, it has to be taken seriously, but don’t let it overcome your brain and mental health. Keep yourself calm and sound. Strengthen your immune system, help the needy and keep yourself away from the depressing news. If you are going to follow these things, then you are going to be one of the very few who would save them from COVID-19.
“We are in this together and we will get through this together”.
~UN Secretary-General