Your psychiatrist will advise you on how to keep your balance and not drown in the second wave of coronavirus.

What people are currently experiencing and how they can help themselves is written in a press release, where Liudvikas Lazauskas, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist at the Personal Health Clinic, speaks.

– What is happening now in people’s lives when they have to accept such a terrifying second wave of coronavirus?

– In fact, many people are only now beginning to feel the effects of the first wave. In the spring, most of them mobilized because they needed to adapt and act, there was no time to think. All the “fun” from the first wave came after the summer break. At the end of the quarantine, people had the opportunity to go to the sea or to the farms, rested and relaxed. And when fall came, nursery schools, and finally a new outbreak, shook almost everyone’s life.

I heard that approval for a coronavirus vaccine, which is already an effective vaccine, has started to climb these days. A similar resonance in society was caused by the beginning of the new school year, even those without children were affected by it: anxiety, tension and signs of depression intensified. From future clients, I see that for many, addictions have escalated or recurred: gambling, substance use, and others. People “cure” their anxiety like this.

It is also interesting that there has been a clear increase in our couples counseling. We joke with colleagues that if at least one or two new couples per week have not requested a consultation, it is already an atypical week. By spending a lot of time together during the quarantine, the couples saw where they were looking in different directions. By fall, most were already leaving for work, they could go back to their hobbies, get distracted, but that was probably not enough to forget what they had experienced and seen during the quarantine. After all, there has never been a time in our time when people spend so much time together under one roof; We had many opportunities and ways to get away from each other. Thus, it is far from everyone and it is not always enough to be patient with the “whims” of a partner, children and other loved ones. It is good when a person can identify what is happening to him and take action on it.

Our society has gone through similar cycles since the historical events of January 1991. At the beginning of the year, when everything was “strawberry”, people did not go to psychiatrists. There was a certain concentration, put into action, at that moment people were mobilizing. Everything changed after the coup in Moscow in August; only after that did people begin to “swim” toward psychiatrists. Mental illness also decreases during war, as people concentrate their efforts, because the most important thing at that time is to survive.

Of course, there are burns. During the war, nobody reacts to exhaustion and then ends sadly. During the first quarantine, people were also very active in trying to find additional activities to complete the schedule, to compensate for anxiety, and many of them were exhausted. Many people now say that it feels like a cluttered container, from which water or whatever its contents begin to flow from the slightest vibration through the edges. What is in that container, only man knows. It is important for him to find a helper to help him exhaust some of the content, and once the drain is finished, he can analyze what is there. It also takes time to pour.

– It says that first it takes time to reduce the voltage, and only then the analysis continues: how long does it take? How fast can a person feel better?

– Most come and expect a very fast result, but even physiologically it is not possible to do so due to the specificities of our brain work. We “digest” a conversation for about 72 hours. The container can be emptied, or otherwise, to put out the emotional fire, in as little as two weeks. Initially, the mental health professional meets with the client a little more often. And when the primary tension is removed and the contents of the pot are explored, the visits thin out, because it takes time for one person to reflect and absorb everything. In order for us to talk about the initial result no earlier than about two months, there must be at least 8-10 meetings. Of course, these preliminary calculations and individual cases can be very different.

– And what complaints are people complaining about at the moment?

– Most people come now for anxiety attacks, panic attacks. Or apply, feeling various psychosomatic disorders, but after going to several doctors (family doctors, cardiologists, endocrinologists) they do not find the reasons for their discomfort. When the body is in a state of readiness due to stress, it defends itself by allowing stress to attack our weaknesses, the so-called target organ, thus initiating health disorders. It is highly commendable when, without finding the physical reasons for this, medical colleagues themselves refer people to mental health professionals and they come to look for the psychological causes of poor health.

The reason itself and often we cannot eliminate. For example, if a person’s anxiety is due to a pension, we will not force the employer to continue working. However, we adjust human reactions, well-being to the cause. And when unpleasant phenomena are removed, the human mind is freed to realize what is happening around it, what it can discover in its life, where to help itself.

As long as your heart is beating and you think you are going to have a heart attack, it is difficult to find the reasons and then focus on the physical ailments. Here’s a very recent story: A person got a new job, he seems to have adjusted perfectly, but a beautiful day struck his heart. The man called an ambulance but found no abnormalities at the hospital and released him for outpatient treatment. After some time, the attack was repeated and the doctors ordered the person to look for psychological reasons. It reached mental health professionals in about a month, a very quick period, often taking much longer to reach us.

– How do you think people are managing to tackle the problems of this fall: the second wave, the new quarantine? Are they behaving the same way or are they changing something?

– Evolution in nature occurs because man learns and adapts his behavior accordingly. If something didn’t turn out your way, most do it a second time. So some people have really learned and are currently trying to maintain that activity, rhythm, and those rituals that more or less helped to maintain balance during the first wave. The essential thing right now is to keep your balance, not to drown in that second wave. Now you need to focus your efforts and harmonize your life as much as possible.

It is very gratifying that we are seeing much better results with the clients that we have been working with since the spring and we have not stopped consulting than those who have approached recently. And although the second wave has already arrived, the longer visitors have the support, the ability to spread their problems, feel good and not overwhelm their loved ones, know the tools to cope with it and, therefore, lift the entire stage with greater ease.

– You say that the most important thing right now is to keep your balance, but how do you do it?

– I’ll tell you the old truth: it is very important for a person to keep the schedule and pace. When you know what’s next, it helps to hold out harder, both physically and psychologically. Not for nothing is there a clear schedule in medical institutions, regulatory services, schools: when to sleep, when to eat, when to play sports. If all of this happens at regular times, it is much easier to maintain balance and safety.

It is not the tip of a finger, but is based on human physiology. For example, one hemisphere of the brain works actively for about 45 minutes, then another goes to work. As a result, children need breaks every academic hour and adults who are more competent to focus every hour and a half. It is best to do it for 15 to 20 minutes. break up and then go back to work. So the recipe is simple: live according to a schedule with quality sleep, physical activity, even at home or walking around the neighborhood, climbing stairs, then taking breaks between work, concentrating on yourself or communicating with friends, colleagues. , relatives.

You say it’s very selfish? But if you drive like a “berazumi” and you drive to the bottom, what is it? What can you give to those around you when you lose your balance and health? After all, human communication is like a warehouse for the fall harvest: everyone brings in the produce from their garden, exchanges it, tastes each other’s grown produce, and enjoys the whole process. Joy, laughter, and pleasant exercise prolong life and strengthen the immunity so necessary to overcome the coronavirus. So the fundamental advice for everyone at this time would be to take care of yourself and not forget the joy.