Simple Ways to Maintain Your Mental Health During the Pandemic

Mental health issues are as important as physical health issues. Every person has or is experiencing a mental health problems.

Dina Atrasina Satriawan, a lecturer at the Faculty of Biomedicine, Indonesia International Institute for Life-Sciences (i3L) explains that there are many factors that can affect a person’s mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For example, isolation, losing jobs, fear of being infected by COVID-19, or grief due to losing friends or family.

“These factors, of course, increase anxiety and stress, and can trigger mental health issues or worsen the prior condition,” said Dina.

Psychological problems that can occur during the COVID-19 pandemic is quite diverse. Social isolation condition or loneliness that occurred because of the quarantine or independent isolation, work/school from home, or Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) can cause symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, eating disorder, or even desire to kill oneself.

Other than that, research also has shown that people who have lost their jobs or have the possibility to lose their jobs due to the pandemic are more susceptible to develop alcohol or substance disorder.

Many health workers at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic are also experiencing mental fatigue (burnout) and acute psychological pressure. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 infection itself can cause nervous and mental complications which causes delirium and great agitation.

Maintaining your mental health is as important as maintaining physical health and both of them cannot be separated. It can be a dilemma when we are faced with isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On one hand, isolation can cause mental health problems but on the other hand, isolation will protect ourselves and others from transmitting COVID-19.

“Because of that, isolation is still very important to do, however, we can do some actions to mitigate the impact of it,” she explained.

Hereby some simple ways to maintain your mental health during the pandemic isolation, including:

1. Maintain your physical health by managing your eating and sleeping habits, and also exercises, because mental health cannot be separated from physical health.
2. Manage your emotion by relaxation, meditation, and controlling the intake of news that can increase anxiety.
3. Create a new routine by doing new small meaningful activities like studying from webinars or pursuing a new hobby.
4. Increase social connection by daily communicating virtually and find opportunities to join a community or certain group activities.
5. Find entertainment that has been adapted to the pandemic, such as online concert or theatre.
6. Reduce your boredom by doing various healthy and fun activities such as exercising.

If all of them have been done, but there are no significant changes, she said, please consult a psychiatrist or other mental health professionals as soon as possible, so that prompt and appropriate help can be done immediately.