What is Mental Wellness?
Being mentally well means, that your mind is in order and functioning in your best interest. You are able to think, feel and act in ways that create a positive impact on your physical and social well-being.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through to adulthood.
Mental health & COVID-19
Fear, worry, and stress are normal responses to perceived or real threats, and at times when we are faced with uncertainty or the unknown. So, it is normal and understandable that people are experiencing fear in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Added to the fear of contracting the virus in a pandemic such as COVID-19 are the significant changes to our daily lives as our movements are restricted in support of efforts to contain and slow down the spread of the virus.
Faced with new realities such as operating a business at a reduced capacity, temporary unemployment, homeschooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues, it is important that we look after our mental, as well as our physical, health.
The coronavirus can significantly affect mental health for everyone, but especially for those with mental illness. Both the anxiety of contracting the disease as well as the increase in loneliness and isolation can worsen and trigger symptoms. Acknowledging, recognizing and acting on mental distress in these uncertain times is key to lessening the impact.
With the awareness of these mental health risks, we can work towards coping with this challenging situation and reduce the potential impact on our mental health. Here is a list of coping strategies to help get you through these uncertain times.
Get outside—in nature—if you can
This is much easier in the country or suburbs, but if you’re in the city and it’s feasible, shimmy past your building neighbours and go for a walk in the park. Remember to maintain distance from other people—as city dwellers know, this can take some maneuvering, but it’s possible. And there are some very good reasons to do so. Lots of recent research finds that spending time in nature is good for both mental and physical health.
Meditation has lots of research behind it, as most people by now know—it’s been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and even increase the volume of certain areas of the brain.
Practice gratitude
This is not the easiest thing to do in these times, particularly if you’ve felt the more brutal effects of the pandemic, like job or business loss, or illness. But practicing gratitude for the things we do have has been shown again and again to be hugely beneficial to mental health.
We’re fundamentally social creatures, and during crises it’s natural to want to gather. Social connectivity is perhaps the greatest determinant of wellbeing there is. So, texting and social media is ok for a short period of satisfaction, but picking up the phone and or video calling, or having a safe-distance conversation on the street, is probably much better.
5 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health During the Lockdown
1. Avoid stress
2. Exercise and or meditate for at least 30 minutes a day
3. Get sufficient sleep
4. Talk to family, friends and relatives on a regular basis
5. Have plans and set goals and work towards achieving them
The EOHCB Team
For more information on how the EOHCB can add value to every aspect of your business, get in touch with us today.
