15/04/2020
Coping with COVID- My pandemic perspective
As we have watched since December 2019, we have held our breath, witnessing the world struggle with an invisible disaster. It is not tangible or touchable. It is perceived as moving through populations with indomitable force, held at bay with distance, hand hygiene and caution. Yet it still moves on. Covid 19 has brought about turmoil to work, schools, living situations, daily routine, travel and the economy. We are staying at home, we seem to be adhering to the social distancing rules, turning to electronic means of staying in touch and trying to distract ourselves from the current situation. Yet this crisis seems to have created a sense of shiftlessness, a feeling of being socially bereft, even in the midst of our families and working from home or working on the home.
There seems to be a sense of defined and ill-defined grief as we watch our world change by degrees and we watch the loss of life right up close on our news and TV. Some people are feeling apathetic, amotivated and drained, yet others rally, do, move and attempt to share their world view. Many people choose to share kindness or humour, some share knowledge and many are feeling arrested in their feelings and thoughts, paralyzed by what ever emotion they are resonating with.
The point is that this is an unusual situation. I would dare say, unique to our times, with no rule book, no decoding device to set down guidelines in helping us navigate this time. However you are feeling is a normal reaction for you to this disaster.
So how do we regain our footing? How do we stay focused, how do we cope in the best way we can? Is there any one true answer to these questions? Probably no one true answer is right for everyone, as we humans are a variable lot.
I would say that it is normal to feel hyper vigilant, feeling over cautious, being wary of others, especially with anyone who is perceived to have covid symptoms. People might feel worried and might find it difficult to control this worry or have a sense of catastrophe. Yet others might feel tense, with muscle aches, headaches, irritation, agitation or just plain grumpy. Some people might have stomach troubles, sleep disturbance or changes in eating patterns. Some people might feel like avoiding the topic, they might withdraw, find it hard to concentrate, make decisions or even have intrusive thoughts.
As life returns to normal, these feelings, behaviours and thoughts may decrease, given time.
So what are some ideas to help us now?
1) Be informed, make sure that your information is from accurate sources. If you don’t know what these are, please let us help you with that.
2) Be prepared but calm (if possible)
Some ideas:
- You might find it helpful to have a list of important contacts at the ready
- Keep stock of your medications, make sure you have enough for 2 weeks, don’t stockpile and try not to leave your medication until you have only a couple days left and no repeats.
- Keep in contact with friends and family, you might be able to offer help or might need help.
- Maintain a healthy diet, keep active and try to maintain your sleep. Routine can help this, but sometimes talking to your GP can help.
- Avoid excess amounts of alcohol or caffeine.
- This is one is important- limit exposure to graphic news and set limits that you stick to. Have Covid 19 news free days, this includes social media also. This gives your mind a rest from that hyper vigilance!
- If you have any concerns or need better understanding about something covid related, seek advice from experts.
- Stay busy or my more recent catch phrase is “stay distracted”, especially when not working or in downtime. This means you should seek out what distracts you the best! Many fun times can be had trying different activities, the sky is the limit! Sing, listen to music, dance (even if it is the macarena), write, garden, read, walk, cook, play games, puzzles, look up weird facts on line (accurate sources) play instruments or learn how to play, watch that series or movie you have been putting off, build stuff (safely) etc….
- Talk to people, express your feelings and thoughts if this helps
- Remember that relationships may be stressed, tempers may flare, a level of understanding is often necessary when you are cooped up in the house together! You don’t have to spend every waking moment with your family, having alone time can be very necessary.
- Children will likely exhibit a range of unusual behaviours, depending on age, this could be anything from angry outbursts, feeling clingy, losing manners or even have physical symptoms of anxiety or distress like stomach ache, headaches, body aches. They may change their eating patterns. They will certainly say they are bored at least once a day!
- Draw upon your spiritual and core beliefs, whatever these may be.
- Get in contact with your GP if you are struggling, we are here to help and very happy to do this.
- Maintain your health through management of your chronic conditions (if you have any).
- If you have financial concerns, don’t leave it, seek help early. There are many resources.
Again, if you have any concerns that we can help you with, in regards to your health, please contact Hammond Health on 69367020. We are here for to help you.
Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands, seek help when you need it.
Kind Regards,
Dr Tricia Overvliet
Some helpful links below:
https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/topics/mental-health-and-wellbeing-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
https://headtohealth.gov.au/covid-19-support/covid-19
https://www.phoenixaustralia.org/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.australia.gov.au/
https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers
The outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 has impacted people in varying ways on an international scale. It is understandable that during times like this, people may be feeling afraid, worried, anxious and overwhelmed by the constantly changing alerts and media coverage regarding the spread of the vi...
