Mental Wellbeing in Pandemic

I think everyone has been struggling the past year and half. Rules have been constantly changing, everyone is afraid from themselves and loved one. A lot of us have lost loved friends and family. We have been living in uncertainty for so long.

I was shielding big part of the year and half. There were quite a few times when I was scared for myself. I have developed a form of social anxiety. Every time I need to go to the hospital, I get at minimum an anxiety attack on the way. I know I am not the only one suffering from this. I thought I would share a few things that help me. I know a bit about psychology. I have read a lot for myself and even more now with my studies. I study psychology in university.

I think this is important thing that people tend to ignore. That is taking time for yourself. Make it a priority to do something for yourself. Make time for it in your routine. It can be whatever you want it to be. For me it includes, doing facial care, crocheting, reading comics. It is time just for me. I don’t need to worry about anything and I can have a moment to relax and in a way reset my stress levels. Other things I also like doing is singing, playing instruments and drawing.

The other important tool is breathing exercises. They are proven to help with anxiety and panic attacks. Mindfulness in specific is one of the most important tools anyone can have. There are certain conditions, like ptsd, where you should check with someone how and when to do them. For most people, breathing mindfulness and breathing are perfect. Even Navy Seals use breathing exercises. The act of controlling your breath, helps to put the body out of a panic mode. By panic mode, in this I mean the flight or flight reflex. We can bring ourselves out of it by breathing. There are videos on YouTube and apps that with what you can practise breathing. When I am out, I usually just hold my breath for few counts, and slowly release it. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy to work. My heart rate goes down, I feel more in control over myself, and I am less anxious. This breathing exercise forces the parasympathetic nervous system to activate. It helps to calm down adrenal production, lowers heart rate and blood pressure. If you want to see this in action, try taking a few breaths where you stop breathing for a few counts and breath out normally. I always see a lower numbers after doing this for a few times. Best thing is that when I am outside, no one has any idea what I am doing under the mask!

 

The last thing I want to say is that it is not a sign of weakness if you want to seek professional support for mental health. It takes a lot of courage to seek help. The NHS has mental health services, even during the pandemic. Other resources in the UK include

Samaritans at  116 123

Call 111

https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/ They have resources that help to understand as well as free online resources
Helpline: 03444 775 77
Text support: 07537 416 905

 

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