COVID-19 Induced Stress

COVID-19 INDUCED STRESS! WHAT EXTRA MILE WOULD YOU GO TO IMPROVE SELF-CARE AND WELLBEING?

By Karen Modupe

Individuals can develop stress by merely thinking about the potential risks involved in contacting Covid 19 alongside the loneliness that accompanies quarantine/ isolation from loved ones; these factors may affect the way individuals care for themselves such as lack of interest in physical activities, eating healthy diet or reaching out to their support systems. The lack of interest in such healthy activities in turn affects their wellbeing and coping mechanisms when in such a situation. In this light more emphasis should be placed on the importance of self-care, hence more awareness is being created for individuals to care for and appreciate themselves more. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has different definitions for the term selfcare. WHO referred to ‘self-care as the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider’ (WHO 2009). ‘It also means taking all the steps you can to take care of your physical health and well-being, including hygiene, nutrition, managing stressors, and seeking medical care if needed’ Have you ever wondered why when exposed to the same stressors, some individuals react differently? Some are healthy while others are not as healthy. The renowned sociologist Aaron Antonovsky, defined salutogenesis as the concept of stress oriented to coping resources. Antonovsky postulates that individual life experiences help to shape one’s sense of coherence. This means that a strong sense of coherence assists one in mobilising resources to cope with more stressors and manage tension effectively. Consequently, health is understood as a self-regulation process which helps face everyday situations including Covid19 induced stress. Therefore, paying attention to self-care can strongly improve our overall wellbeing. The foundation of wellbeing starts with physical selfcare. Other aspects are emotional, mental or cognitive, social, and spiritual selfcare.

Physical selfcare

The interaction between our mind and body determines our physical selfcare. It refers to the extent to which we go to meet the needs of our body in order for it to flourish. This includes everything from having personal care, exercising, having a good diet, and maintaining physical health. What comes to your mind when thinking of how to improve your physical selfcare should include: 1. Getting adequate sleep 2. Having a shower or bath and brushing your teeth 3. Exercising 4. Eating healthy meals and hydrating properly (min. 2.5l/day). 5. Taking necessary supplements/vitamins.

Emotional selfcare

Emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient EQ) is similar to emotional self-care. It is the ability to be conscious of our emotions and be able to identify what we feel, how we feel and allow ourselves to incline into such emotions without discrediting ourselves or our emotions. Ways to improve self-care includes: 1. Practising effective communication, 2. Allow yourself to feel your emotions and practise positive coping strategies to relieve stress, 3. Indulging in gratitude, self-compassion and empathy. 4. Setting healthy boundaries (this may mean saying no to people who bring negativity into our lives. 5. Practise breathing exercises 6. Seeing a therapist if needed 7. Practising positive affirmations.

Mental self-care

How you think and the information you fuel your mind with has an overall effect on your psychological wellbeing. Everyone has an inner critic, and it can hold on to our self-talk which influences our thoughts and sense of wellbeing. According to chef Ruth Reichl, “One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don’t know how to do, to keep learning.” Mental self-care involves stimulating your mind and also knowing when to give your mind a break. It can be developed by fuelling your mind to inspire good thoughts, improve your knowledge and positive wellbeing. Examples include 1. Learning new ideas from reading books, 2. Learning a new language 3. Listening to enlightening podcast 4. Watching documentaries 5. Research topics of interest or practise creative writing.