Importance of Protecting Mental Health During the Time of a Pandemic

A pandemic is a new epidemic (a disease that can spread from one person to another in a short duration and affects many people but remain within a state or a country) condition which occurs worldwide and doesn’t have a specific treatment and immunity in the people. It affects a large number of people. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic disease whose threat we are facing currently. As a measure to prevent its spread and to prevent an uncontrollable situation, people are facing isolation, quarantine, and lockdown. In such a situation, protecting mental health is also a matter of concern.

Why mental health plays the most crucial role during such hard times?

In the above three situations, people face separation at various levels. A drastic change occurred in their routine activities.

• People are compelled to stay inside, which gives a caged feeling.
• There is a feeling of loneliness.
• Insecurity regarding their earnings.
• Fear of getting diseased has flourished among the whole community.
• Grief in those who’ve lost their near and dear ones.

This type of situation creates stress and anguish. Everyone cannot endure this psycho-social disturbance as the capacity of endurance varies with different persons. Thus, the importance of mental health increases exponentially in the current situation. These adverse effects are seen commonly among the more vulnerable population who possess minimal resources and limited access to social and health services.

As a result, the expected behavior pattern during a pandemic includes fear, anxiety, and unstable behavior. It can also trigger physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sleeplessness, weakness, fatigue, and even digestion issues. Along with stress, people may even develop depression.

Ways to protect your mental health

To protect one’s mental health one should follow the positive and emotionally healthy tips to cope up with stress mentioned below:

• Limited exposure to news and social media posts related to the disease. Excessive news watching will lead you to a situation of continuous worry. There should be limited exposure to news and social media posts for only about five to ten minutes per day.
• View the positive aspect too: you should remind that people who get infected with COVID-19 disease, get only very mild symptoms and the mortality rate is significantly less as compared to the previous epidemics. So don’t worry!
• Stay in touch with your family and friends; it gives a sense of normality and helps in relieving stress by sharing our feelings with them. Connecting over a phone call, video conferencing, chatting, etc., it can be achieved.
• Complete the unfinished works and wishes that you were unable to complete previously due to your busy schedule.
• Start practising aerobics, yoga, dance workouts, etc., with your family.
• Deep breathing and meditation are other ways in which you can relieve your stress and anxiety.
• Keep yourself busy as this will help you shift your focus other than the stress of the current situation.

Home Remedies

There are home remedies which should be included in your routine to protect your mental health and from the pandemic:

• Consume a balanced diet
• Add some vitamin C to your diet. Having lemon, amla, orange, and other citric fruits, can fulfill this requirement. It will help you boost up your immunity.
• Green tea can help in beating up the stress.
• Stress and depressing thoughts can be reduced with the addition of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Avocados are one of the rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Probiotics keep your digestive system healthy and help in boosting up the immunity.

Homeopathic Remedies

There are many homeopathic remedies to deal with the stress created in the current situation, which can help to alleviate the stress. One should consult a registered homeopathic practitioner for their prescription. Some of the commonly prescribed homeopathic medicine for stress and homeopathic medicine for depression are mentioned below:

Aconitum napellus: For acute stress, when the patient develops a fear of death with restlessness. The person will become anxious for his health too. For the constant worry accompanied by anxiety and restlessness.

Cocculus indicus: When stress is accompanied by excessive sadness, this medicine should be given. The mind is absorbed in day-dreaming, which leads to a feeling of the quick passage of time. The mind feels benumbed. The person develops anxiety, particularly about the health of others.

Eshscholtzia californica: This medicine acts as a sedative to alleviate mental anxiety. It is used for nervous tension leading to anxiety and difficulty in sleeping.

Gelsemium sempervirens: For drowsiness and dullness. It is accompanied by mental apathy and exhausted feeling. The person wants to stay quiet and don’t desire to be in the company. To be given when stress leads to physical affections, especially dizziness and prostration.

Ginseng quinquefolium: It helps the body to adapt to stressful conditions and hence help in its management. The constituents of this drug are similar to the body’s stress hormones. It improves the body’s immunity, liver function and stimulates the vital processes of the body.

Lupulus: When a person develops sleeplessness, remains awake all night due to anxiety in mind that something terrible is going to happen. For drowsiness in day time due to sleeplessness at night.

Passiflora incarnata: This remedy is known to have sedative and anti-spasmodic actions upon the body, which helps in relaxation of mind. Sleeplessness in mentally over-worried and over-worked individuals.

CONCLUSION

Pandemics are health emergencies which have an impact on the lives of every person present in the affected area. The psycho-social disturbances created during such a situation affect normal as well as the infected people. The reaction to this stress is expressed as fear, anxiety and unstable behavior. Protecting mental health in such a situation becomes a matter of concern. People are more prone to develop stress, anxiety, and depression. So, the importance of mental health care increases exponentially during the pandemic of COVID-19.

A positive attitude during such a negative situation is the key to stay healthy, mentally as well as physically. One can remain healthy with Homeopathy. There are many Homeopathic medicines for stress and depression, for example, Cocculus, Passiflora incarnata, etc. These can be taken after consulting a registered homeopathic practitioner.