Educating the masses on mental health and battling the stigma of mental illness is a massive mission. That’s why the world needs dedicated mental health bloggers and writers who frequently cover relevant issues and can educate people about this issue. They’ll help people to think progressively so they can build a world where everyone takes mental health seriously and does not discriminate against those with mental illness. We should not ignore people who have this issue or who are going through this issue, instead we should talk them with more attention, more care and more patiently. As in this pandemic condition many people are started having this issue due to various reasons. Some have lost their jobs, some couples are dealing with breakup amid Covid-19, many people are getting frustrated by staying at home and not hanging out with their friends.
WHO states that Corona Virus is a large family of viruses that causes illness ranging from as mild as common cold to as severe as respiratory difficulties. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Avoiding close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing is important too. Social distancing will help to stop the spread of this virus too.
Irrespective of the precautions and measures taken to avoid the further spread, more number of cases are reported everyday which has created a strong emotions among people like anger, sadness, anxiety, panic, tension as well as stress among people for the threat it poses.
Everyone copes with stress in their own and unique ways. Crises like this tends to bring out the best as well as the worst in humanity. People can show difficulties in their sleep, appetite as well as concentration due to heightened anxiety and stress levels. Consumption of tobacco, alcohol or drugs can increased as a way to cope with the stress.
The human body has developed a complex and extensive process of adapting to harmful or dangerous situations created by stress to keep a physiological balance, a state known as homeostasis. When the body experiences stress, or even perceived stress, it mobilizes a variety of physiological and behavioral changes via the nervous and endocrine systems to achieve a goal of maintaining homeostasis and coping with stress. Drinking alcohol may seem to provide some relief—positive feelings and relaxation—in the short term, but as stressful events continue long-term, heavy alcohol consumption can lead to medical and psychological problems and increase the risk of developing alcohol use disorders.
Hence staying calm at this hour of the outbreak is important. By staying calm and doing yoga or meditation daily will help to reduce the anxiety and cope with the stress in healthy and effective ways. In turn, coping in healthy ways will help to stay calm, attend and care more for self, loved ones as well as to the community. We all already know about the benefits of yoga/meditation, not mentally but physically too.
Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29 Years old. More women are affected by depression than men.
Most people experience stress and anxiety from time to time. Stress is any demand placed on your brain or physical body. People can report feeling stressed when multiple competing demands are placed on them. The feeling of being stressed can be triggered by an event that makes you feel frustrated or nervous. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or unease. It can be a reaction to stress, or it can occur in people who are unable to identify significant stressors in their life.
Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or dangerous situation. Examples of everyday stress and anxiety include worrying about finding a job, waiting for the climax of some suspense movie, feeling nervous before a big test, or being embarrassed in certain social situations. If we did not experience some anxiety we might not be motivated to do things that we need to do. So anxiety is good for us but in limit as over of anything harm us in some or the another way.
However, if stress and anxiety begin interfering with your daily life, it may indicate a more serious issue. If you are avoiding situations due to irrational fears, constantly worrying, or experiencing severe anxiety about a traumatic event weeks after it happened, it may be time to seek help.
Bollywood star Deepika Padukone also suffered with depression and had spoken about her battle with depression. The 34-year-old celebrity, who has over 30 movies to her name, said she considered herself lucky that her mother had spotted her symptoms and urged her to seek medical help. She was diagnosed with depression in 2014, She encouraged potential sufferers and the people around them to look out for telltale signs of depression, such as prolonged feelings of sadness, sleeping and eating irregularities, as well as suicidal thoughts.
“The toughest part in the journey for me was not understanding what I was feeling,” said Padukone. “Just having the diagnoses in itself felt like a massive relief.”
Like this only, Actress Angelina Jolie opened up about her battle with depression in an interview with the Wall Street Journal Magazine in November 2015. Actor Chris Evans has dealt with depression stemming from his debilitating anxiety. Lady Gaga hasn’t been shy about too many things, least of all her long battle with mental illness. In a candid interview with Billboard, the pop star admitted, “I’ve suffered through depression and anxiety my entire life. Many more actors and actresses dealt and won this battle!
“Nobody can save you but yourself, and you’re worth saving. It’s a war not easily won, but if anything is worth winning then this is it.” Charles Bukowski
How you can cope with the Stress/Depression as well as anxiety?
There is not thumb rule a single particular way in this, we can do this with many ways. I’m listing some of them.
- Take care of yourself. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Exercise on a regular basis. Get plenty of sleep and give yourself a break if you feel stressed out.
- Talk to others, Share your problems and how you are feeling and what’s going on in your mind.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol. These may seem to help, but they can create additional problems and increase the stress you are already feeling.
- Take a break. If news events are causing your stress, take a break from listening or watching the news.
- Take deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly whenever you feel stressed.
- Accept that you cannot control everything. Put your stress in perspective.
- A good laugh goes a long way.
- Maintain a positive attitude. Make an effort to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
Often times we forget to love ourselves. You can NOT pour from an empty cup. So take a respite from what you are doing, go drink some water, take your meds (if applicable) and maybe go for a little morning long walk or do some home workout. Practice deep breathing for 5-10 minutes. And most importantly get a little or a lot of self-care in. It all adds up. Let me know how you are loving and investing in yourself today. I am eating my favorite ice cream (without guilt) and reading a book that I love. Later I will go for a swim and try to get some painting in.
”Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” Mariska Hargitay
