The CAMROSE BOOSTER, April 14, 2020 – Page 8
Maintaining mental health amidst difficult times By Lori Larsen
COVID-19 is on the minds of everyone these days and weighs heavy on the hearts of many. The fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of what the future holds causes us all undue stress, but rest assured there are plenty of resources available to help with coping and ensuring good mental health. Alberta Health Services is continually providing information and resources to Albertans to assist with maintaining their mental health during this unprecedented time in our world. The following are a few helpful tips provided by AHS. Limit the amount of time you spend watching, reading or listening to news about COVID-19. Seek information at specific times, once or twice a day. It is very easy to become overwhelmed with information, some factual some not so much, so it is important to get the facts about COVID-19 from a reliable source. The following is one of the most up-todate and reliable websites provided by the Alberta government: www.alberta. ca/coronavirus. AHS advises to be mindful and gently pay attention to your thoughts, feelings and body sensations. “It is okay to feel nervous, sad, upset, angry and frustrated,” noted Camrose Open Door executive direc-
tor and registered provisional psychologist Jessica Hutton. “Feel the emotion, and gently help yourself move forward from it.
ple to seek out someone they trust or seek help of a health professional if you notice your reaction to things is difficult to calm.
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster The Camrose Open Door executive director and registered provisional psychologist Jessica Hutton advises on keeping emotional wellbeing intact in challenging times.
“This may help you identify what is making you anxious and then better understand why you are feeling that way, allowing you to take more control.” AHS encourages peo-
Use healthy approaches and skills you normally use to cope with stressful situations and maintain healthy behaviours that have helped in the past, such as meditation,
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exercise, getting out in fresh air, talking to friends/ family (via telephone, social media), writing a journal, practicing a hobby such as painting or woodworking. Exercise, eating healthy and getting enough rest or sleep are all examples of healthy coping behaviours and are imperative for maintaining not only mental, but physical wellbeing. Keep in mind that this situation is temporary, and eventually things will return to normal. Try to remain focused on the positive. Many people are recovering from COVID-19 and they will go on with their lives. Maintain your regular routines as much as possible. Focus on what needs to happen today, and make a list of what you need to do in the next day or week to keep yourself safe and comfortable. Keeping your regular household routine is important if children are confined to home. Encourage children to play and socialize with others (via social media), even if it is only within the family, when advised to restrict social activities. Keep communicating with children. Use age appropriate information to explain to children the situation in the household, community and world. “It is very important to talk to our children right now and be honest about what is happening,” said Hutton. “Provide them words. Reassure them that it is okay to feel many emotions right now, and to sometimes not even know how we are feeling.” AHS reported that it is important to hold and comfort your child/children to help them feel safe and secure. Reassure children, especially at bedtime. “Children and youth look to us to help them to be regulated,” further explained Hutton. “In order to do that, we must regulate ourselves. This means engaging in self care, allowing ourselves to feel emotions, and being gentle with ourselves while we feel those strong emotions. It is especially important to remain connected during this time.” Parents and caregivers are encouraged to try to model healthy and positive coping skills. AHS indicates that a parent or guardian’s response to the pandemic impacts how children react, so it is important to remain calm. Model good behavior with regards to the recommendations put forward by Alberta Health Services. If you stay strong and healthy, your children have a better chance of avoiding concerns.
Avoid or limit drinks with caffeine, for example, pop, coffee, tea and energy drinks, because they can make you feel anxious or restless and affect your sleep. Do not abuse alcohol to cope with feelings of stress or anxiety. Alcohol disrupts normal sleep patterns, can cause mood fluctuations and can make underlying feelings of stress and trauma worse. Breathe. Breathing techniques can be an effective tool to manage stress and anxiety; take a slow deep breath in as you count to five and then exhale, also counting to five (repeat 10 times). This can help calm your nervous system and help you think more clearly. Find comfort in your spiritual/personal beliefs and practices. If you are in self-isolation, look for opportunities to stay in contact with family and friends through telephone calls, texting, email, Skype and FaceTime. Engage in fun activities with family that do not require you to go out into public, such as games, craft/art projects, story writing and telling, exercise, meditation and get back to eating a healthy dinner together. We are all vulnerable during these challenging times, but especially susceptible are children and youth, due to a lack of understanding and perhaps the inability for their not yet fully developed brains to understand what is occurring. Hutton added, “Promote conversation with children and youth, create opportunities through video chatting or phones for connecting with loved ones and friends, especially for children’s school friends. While we are all physically distancing from each other, we must remember that does not mean to disconnect from our support networks.” There is no doubt these times will be trying, but as humans, we have stood the test of many other trying times including wars, devastating natural disasters, slumping and crashing economies and others, that have tested our ability to cope. This time, albeit different, will no doubt cultivate the same results. We will conquer and be stronger.