The coronavirus pandemic is taking a massive toll on our mental health.
More than 40% of American adults experience problems with depression, anxiety and substance abuse related to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control said in a new report.
Good field fires, election season, financial distress, schooling, and the isolation caused by on-the-spot orders, and it’s not surprising that Bay Area’s behavioral crisis agencies have reported a sharp rise in emergency calls.
With that in mind, The Chronicle reached out to mental health experts to help come up with a list of daily strategies that can help manage uncertainty and emotions.
Do not try to go. Try to adapt.
“I think people are running low on treatment efforts,” says Holly Anton, an integrative therapist at Sutter’s Institute for Health & Healing. “It’s time for another strategy.”
Instead of worrying about the way of life you lost with the pandemic, she advises finding a way to make a meaningful living in the here and now.
Where do you want to put your energy? What deserves your focus? How can you get the most out of today? You can choose how you relate to the circumstances.
Anton says it is also best to avoid temporary social strategies, such as alcohol or substance abuse and overtime to stay active.
“In the long run, adaptation will get in the way,” she says.
Keep things in perspective.
“Thinking about difficult situations you’ve been through and coming out of is helpful,” says David Spiegel, associate president of psychiatry and director of the Stanford Center on Stress and Health.
Chances are great, this is not the first time in your life that you feel overwhelmed and hopeless. Think back to other cases when a situation felt apocalyptic and remind yourself that you have managed to get to the other side of it. It’s not easy to do when you’m in the middle of a disaster.
“The worst outcome seems to be the only one when you are depressed,” says Spiegel.
People have plagues, wars, political upheavals, and more. While none of us have been in this particular situation before, things keep in perspective on the scale of human life.
“When you have experienced a major trauma or loss, one of the most shocking things is how life goes on,” Anton says. “Five years from now, this will be a part of our past. We will have solved or figured out problems that we did not need. We will have made or adjusted adjustments. We will be relieved of this paralysis we now feel. ”
Focus on the things you can control.
Part of the reason people feel excluded is that our minds feel overwhelmed by a wide range of major societal issues that the pandemic has revealed, ranging from racial and economic disparity to poor leadership and climate change. But these things are not immovable.
“You can roll over and pull your pillows over your head, or you can do something,” Spiegel says. “If people are serious about not feeling helpless, try to find those situations where you can do something about it and do it.”
Even a small action can improve your position.
The pandemic has caused deep, heated divisions over a variety of issues – from the use of face masks to the possibility of getting a haircut – but it’s important to remember that at the end of the day we work for the most part to the same purposes.
“Social unrest is a big part of this fear,” Anton says. “We are social animals. There have always been several individuals in the herd. That is not new. What is new is the heightened sense of difference. But we do not have to agree to help each other. We do not have to share views to work together and solve problems on pragmatic issues such as childcare, schools and social issues. ”
A little self-care goes a long way.
“Eat well, sleep well, get plenty of exercise,” says Spiegel. “Do not let your health, diet or exercise pattern go to hell. Define those things. ”
The human mind has a self-deprecating habit of freezing when things feel out of our control. But you have to fight the impulse to do nothing at a time when you have to do something.
“Foundation level, you have to take care of the body,” says Anton. “If food has become irregular or irregular, then you are obliged to structure it. Do not skip flour. Make sure you get a proper balance of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein sources, water. That is a fundamental issue. Nutrition, aerobic exercise and sleep form a good basis. ”
If you need help
National Suicide Prevention Line: Call 800-273-8255 to contact a counselor at a locally operated crisis center 24 hours a day for free.
Crisis text line: Text “Connect” to 741741 to reach a crisis advisor free of charge at any time.
Once you take care of the basics, focus on your overall sense of well-being. The world in general can go through a difficult period, but it’s good to make yourself happy.
“Focus on things that give you joy and meaning in your life,” says Spiegel. “Be in touch with people who are important to you. Do some things that really give you pleasure. Allow yourself to use your stored good memories and fantasies to make yourself happy. ”
Unplug.
“Try to limit your exposure to the media,” says Spiegel. “It’s not worth more than two hours of news to take in every day. After a while it’s not new. Limit consciously how much of it you take in.”
News can trigger your body’s 911 response, causing your heart to rage and mind to go into panic mode. That’s not good for setting the tone of your day – especially with round-the-clock updates coming in via social media – and even worse for sleep. Turn off the TV, shut down your computer and keep your smartphone away. (You can stick to your newspaper, but stick to the entertainment section.)
“Go well two hours before bedtime away from new input,” says Anton. “The advice was once 30 minutes, but I would say that people now probably need more than that. There is now over-the-top stimulation.”
Try this one little trick.
1. Open your eyes.
2. Feel your feet on the floor.
3. Take your next breath.
4. Follow it to the exhale so you can see where the beginning of the next inhalation is.
“Just hang on in this practice 5-10 breaths,” Anton says. “That helps a lot.”
She recommends repeating the exercise several times a day, even if only for a moment or two each time, when you start to get lost in your head.
“It lowers the stimulus level by capturing and interrupting that obsessive thought cycle,” Anton says.
Seek help.
There are terrible and traumatic things in our world. Nationally, an estimated 10% of Americans – significantly higher than usual – seriously considered suicide in June, according to the CDC.
It is good to seek support when it all seems too much. Spiegel also suggests providing support to others if possible.
Getting professional help can be easier than you think. There are now options for telemedicine available, as well as other therapy programs that you can try at home.
Spiegel also developed a free hypnotherapy program that you can use through Alexa. Developed at Stanford, Reveri Health offers mini-sessions through your voice commands, and provides exercises to help with a variety of problems, including stress, insomnia and loneliness.
Aidin Vaziri is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]
