COVID-19 and Mental Health
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a volatile and unpredictable situation. In these uncertain times, the virus affects our social lives as well as our mental health. Being isolated at home may cause emotional stress - anxiety and isolation can bring up feelings of loneliness and sadness. Mental health symptoms may worsen in people living with such problems and this can feel overwhelming. We are well aware of this and therefore want to help you get through these difficult times: we have a couple of suggestions for you that are also supported by the World Health Organization
1. Maintain your everyday routine. Even if you don´t have to commute or go to work at the moment you should stick to your rhythm. Keep up your regular wake up time, make your bed, have breakfast, read, work, take breaks, etc.
2. Reach out to family and friends. Being isolated can be tough. So whenever you feel lonely or sad or if your mental health symptoms worsen, reach out to a friend or a family member. You can connect with loved ones through video chats, phone calls, texting, and email. If you feel really bad, reach out to your doctor or psychotherapist.
3. Try to limit your exposure to COVID-19 related news to trustworthy sources. Especially if you suffer from anxiety and other compulsive disorders, the symptoms can increase if you spend too much time with negative news. Try to allocate only a limited amount of time for reading or watching the news.
4. Do some physical exercise. Even if it is just walking up and down stairs in your house or doing some online Yoga classes. This will help you to better cope with the situation.
5. Do breathing exercises. This can be regular yogic breathing (like count to 5 while breathing in, hold breath for 4 counts and breathing out for 3 counts). Also breathing to strong scents like lavender oil can help to calm you down.
6. Use the time to try something new. For example use Mental Health apps which can help you to cope with stress or to stay focused on positive things. You are not alone. There are patient organizations such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), GAMIAN-Europe or EUFAMI available to support you.
In case you have caught the SARS CoV-2 virus and are recommended to take cold or flu medication, please keep in mind that many of them must not be taken together with antipsychotics and/or antidepressants. Please consult your pharmacist or prescribing health care professional for any potential medication contraindications. Importantly, please do not stop taking any medication without consulting your physician. If you feel you need to take any over the counter flu or cold medications, please make sure to consult with your physician first.
Try to stay strong and remember that you can always reach out for help, if needed. We all hope that this situation will only last for a limited amount of time. Authorities, researchers, healthcare professionals, and pharma companies around the globe are working together to fight the virus and find a vaccination against it.