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HEALTH SENSE: Dr. Lee Ann Gee: Managing mental health in turbulent times
HEALTH SENSE
Managing mental health in turbulent times
By Dr. Lee Ann Gee
With the rapidly evolving news and information of COVID-19, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure. For all of us who struggle with our mental health, the rapidly changing environment can magnify any challenges that we’ve been dealing with.
It’s important to do what we can to tend to our emotional wellbeing as we navigate this period of time. If you’re finding that your anxiety or depression is feeling harder to manage, here are a few ways you can get through:
“Headline Stress Disorder,” a term coined for the anxiety resulting from the 24-hour news cycle, can be ramped up when always-emerging information about COVID is readily available. If around-the-clock coverage is causing you distress, try disabling news push notifications on your phone and set aside one block of time a day to follow coverage rather than continuously checking in. When you do read coronavirusrelated news, for example, make sure you choose trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), or local health authorities.
Guidelines for personal pandemic care include avoiding touching your face, washing your hands often for 20 seconds, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, avoiding contact with those who are unwell, and staying home if you’re feeling sick (except to get medical care). For more health guidelines, choose trusted organizations such as the CDC or WHO.
Our self-care practices often go neglected in periods of high stress, but it’s important to stay on top of getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and taking vitamins that can help keep stress levels down and your immune system strong. If gyms and other exercise locations are closed in your area, try one of the many fitness classes that can be streamed online.
Be sure to stay in touch with your friends and family to let them know how you’re feeling or ask them to check in on you if you know that you tend to isolate when stressed. If constant discussion of coronavirus stresses you out, it’s OK to ask for some “COVID-19-free time.” If you feel that your anxiety or depression is interfering with daily functioning, seek out help from a medical professional. Remember that mental health is just as important as physical health and that help is available when you want it. The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. Always consult your primary health physician before making any health care decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
If COVID-19 and social isolation are heightening your symptoms of depression, TMS Center of Alaska may be able to help. At TMS Center of Alaska, we specialize in TMS therapy — an FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment for treatment-resistant depression and OCD without harmful side effects. To learn more or to schedule a TMS consultation, please contact us online or call or text us today at 877-2613391.
