These days when we, as all humanity, are going through difficult times, I prepared an article about what we should do to protect our mental health and regulate our anxiety and I wanted to share it with you. Although there is information pollution about what we can do against the coronavirus, the only thing we are sure of is that staying at home will slow down the spread of the virus and make the healthcare system function more efficiently. For this reason, we know that it is important for everyone to be at home, except for those who do not have to go out; So, what would be better for us to do at home and how can we care for ourselves to protect our mental health?
The unknown and threatening nature of the coronavirus causes anxiety and fear due to reasons such as the fact that we cannot predict how long the situation we are experiencing will last and that it is a disease we have not encountered before. is happening. Difficult experiences, such as the situation we are experiencing now, disrupt people's perception of security and can make them feel like they are losing control. One of the most basic needs of people is to feel safe, and the stress response is a normal response when we think we have lost this. However, in such situations, it is very important to protect both our psychological health and those around us and to be able to regulate anxiety. So, what should we do to achieve this?
First of all, I think it is very important to protect ourselves against information pollution about this epidemic. We have witnessed that even in many reputable news channels, people who are considered experts give false information and increase people's anxiety level. It is very important to only take into account the statements of authorized people and to protect yourself from and ignore situations such as audio recordings and images that are published on social media and whose accuracy has not been proven.
Together, we should be able to find ways to prevent the epidemic-related agenda from spreading throughout your life. Of course, it is not possible for us to stay away from the subject that is so important in our lives, but I do not think that watching news programs all day or constantly following this issue on the internet will be very useful. Instead, limit your receiving news to a few times a day, and keep it in designated time periods as much as possible. I recommend it.
We know that taking care of our physical health is important for psychological health. Eating healthy and exercising at home if you can will make you stronger against the epidemic and will be good for your psychological well-being. In addition to many online applications for you to exercise at home, you can access exercises provided by well-known sports clubs online through social media channels such as Youtube and Instagram.
We know that most people are at home, except for those who do not have to work outside. It can be predicted that this can be boring at times, and that being at home can be challenging at times in these days when the feeling of helplessness and being at home is a necessity rather than a choice. In this process, I think it is important to set a routine for yourself at home. As human beings, order often makes us feel safe. Planning your day in your mind when you wake up in the morning (of course, it doesn't have to be in the form of a work calendar; putting the things you will do from morning to evening in a certain order) and maybe even writing it down will be helpful in creating a routine.
I observe that one of the most difficult issues we face when we are at home is not being able to start production, not being able to work (for people other than those who work at home) and the feeling of "I am useless". Being at home may feel uncomfortable for some of us in these days when we see healthcare professionals working with superhuman efforts most of the time. What we know and need to constantly remind ourselves in this process is; Being at home must be of the greatest benefit to people working outside for this process.
There is also a process that is constantly pumped to help us spend our time at home very productively. Of course, seeing this as an opportunity; There are also people who see it as an opportunity to read books they haven't been able to read or watch movies that are on their list, how happy! Apart from this, the majority do not know what to do at home, and as a result, situations such as boredom and not knowing what to do or how to spend time are quite common. Imagine you were driving at full speed, we stopped with a sudden brake; In this case, we were shaken just as the car was shaken. At a time that is convenient for you The time will come to find our balance and rise to the occasion, and we will adapt to the process. That's why I recommend that you pay attention to the concepts of productive time and always remind yourself that you need time to find balance by giving yourself permission until the shock passes.
Even though you are largely separated from your loved ones during this process, we should attach importance to being together with your loved ones through video calling applications. One of the most basic needs of human beings is to socialize and be with people they enjoy spending time with. Trying to meet this need in a virtual environment (especially if you are not used to it) will of course not be as good as you would like at first. In these days when we feel even more how important social support is, do not keep yourself from contact with your loved ones, give a chance to online conversations.
We know that expressing emotions greatly reduces the possibility of physical reactions. Unexpressed emotions manifest themselves as physical symptoms after a certain time. For this reason, I think it is important to turn to activities (painting, journaling, writing, etc.) that will take your anxiety away from you and transfer it from the inside to the outside, and to externalize the emotion.
Freud divided anxiety types into three; reality anxiety, neurotic anxiety and guilt anxiety. Reality anxiety is the fear or anxiety felt when faced with real dangers in the outside world, that is, worrying and being afraid of today's coronavirus is a reaction to a fear situation seen in the outside world. Knowing that the anxiety experienced during this process has a realistic side, but do not hesitate to seek psychological support in cases where it affects your daily lives, sleep, or appetite, and be careful to share your anxiety.
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