‘Build up individual resilience, fight coronavirus’ - <i>By Dr Deepa Marina Rasquinha</i>

Mangaluru, Mar 31: The pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused havoc all over the world. Fear, anxiety, stress, and depression are natural during this period, however, everyone is finding themselves engulfed within it. People of different ages react to this crisis in various ways. At the beginning of this article, I would like to focus on two age groups and then include few strategies to enhance our mental health.

Children face enormous disruptions in daily routine along with worry and fear. Fear of own death, fear of the relatives/family dying, less opportunity to be with friends, difficulty concentrating, emotional exhaustion, lack of paly all of these hamper overall well-being. Tantrums, anger, and irritability can also increase in them if not properly cared for which can pressurize parents. This can be handled by parents posing themselves as good role models. Help children engage in age-appropriate learning activities and express their creativity through indoor play, sketching, drawing, creating stories of their own and so on.

The elderly are considered to be very vulnerable population to COVID-19, and media communicating this can be disturbing and frightening to the elderly. Some may be living alone and this can aggravate their fear, irritation, sleeplessness and thus can worsen their mental health. The elderly can divert by undertaking mild physical activity at home, continuing with daily routine, maintain social connections through digital media, those familiar with using it.

Some strategies to follow include:

1. Develop resilient mindset: Resilience means bouncing back. Mental health professionals can focus on creating a “resilient mindset” in people rather than only highlighting on risk and protective factors. Building a resilient mindset helps us deal with stress, cope with challenges, and develop realistic goals.

2. Relaxation and enhance positive thoughts: Spend time relaxing both body and mind through techniques like deep breathing, mindful meditation, Yoga and Prayer. Enhance positive thoughts by listening to your favorite music, adding humor in life, reframe negative thoughts and most importantly by being optimistic.

3. Connecting with dear ones: Many people after being diagnosed/ doubting having COVID-19 have committed suicide. Better family support and sharing of worries and feelings with family and friends can help everyone. Phone/Video calls, texting can help overcome isolation and fear.

4. Maintaining physical well-being: As the saying goes ‘A sound mind in a sound body’ eat healthy foods, take enough liquids, exercise and have good sleep hygiene to boost immunity.

5. Activate your mind: Start new things or adapt things that you usually enjoyed, into indoor activities. Joining online courses, solving puzzles, reading, going back to old hobbies can make a difference.

6. Right knowledge about COVID-19: Many of us are still confused about differentiating with the symptoms of Flu, common cold and COVID-19.Media can portray a clear difference between all these through local languages frequently. Highlighting on the hopeful stories from people being recovered from this disease can help boost everyone’s positive spirits.

7. Break from all media coverage of COVID-19: As family limit exposure to the coverage of the disease. Rely on trusted sources like WHO website and local health authorities for the present statistics in your place. Believe in facts and not rumours.

8. Seek professional support: When all these strategies don’t work for you, it’s right time to reach and ask for the professional help from counselors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers via teletherapy/counseling.

Though COVID-19 as imprisoned the whole world into our homes, all of us will adhere to our Prime Minister who wrapped his current address to the nation by quoting ‘Do not go outside and but use this opportunity to introspect’.

 

By Dr Deepa Marina Rasquinha
Dr Deepa Marina Rasquinha is presently employed as an assistant professor, department of Clinical Psychology, Manipal College of Health Profession (MCHP), Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She received her PhD in Psychology from Mangalore University for working in the area of Gerontology.
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Comment on this article

  • Don, Bangalore

    Wed, Apr 01 2020

    Thanks Deepa.

  • Langoolacharya., Belman / Washington, DC.

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai,

    As of now, we have 11 strains of CORVID-19 Virus....they always mutate to escape the Vaccination net ...like 'Kalla Police Aata'....

    ...Tak...Takk...

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Langoolacharyaji, if a patient is "asymptomatic" how will he know he is infected & spreading the virus unknowingly is a big question?

    As per Chinese researchers:
    "Researchers in China say preliminary research shows there are two strains of the novel coronavirus that has been declared a global pandemic.

    Scientists at Peking University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai report that a more aggressive strain has infected roughly 70 percent of those tested, while a less aggressive strain was linked to the remaining 30 percent, according to Reuters. Researchers named the aggressive strain “L type,” and the less aggressive version “S type.” The L type was seen more often in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, but the frequency of this type of virus has since decreased from early January."

    NOW THE QUESTION REMAINS IS WHAT TEST REPORTS WE ARE GETTING IS STRAIN SPECIFIC OR GENERIC? LOOKING AT THE MORTALITY RATE SO FAR, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED (Indians) BY THE "S" TYPE!! TIME WILL TELL!!!!

  • Rudolf Rodrigues, Mumbai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Langoolacharyaji, if a patient is "asymptomatic" how will he know he is infected & spreading the virus unknowingly is a big question?

  • Dorin Moras, Shirva

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Nice article Dr Deepa . Very informative. We are proud of you .

  • Michael Sreshta, Mangalore/Cleveland. USA

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Enjoyed reading your article. Very timely information. Thank you. Boosting your immune system is essential. Further this is what WebMD says about this.
    https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/10-immune-system-busters-boosters#1

  • Rohith, Karkala

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Nice article and very informative.

  • Jason Joseph Noronha, Dubai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Informative article. Now we need to adapt to alternative lifestyle atleast for a year ahead which comes with new learnings. Definitely introduce us with new type of modes of communications. Lots of things to learn...

  • Evans C. Sumitra, Udupi/ New York, USA.

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Thanks Dr. Deepa Marina Rasquinha for your superb article. I was so impressed by the title 'Build up individual resilience and fight coronavirus'. Your article has full of information on COVID-19 which everybody must go through it and you will know the facts and also the do's and don'ts. This is the time before it is too late.

  • Jane Yousuf, Mumbai, Manglore, Sharjah

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Thankyou Dr. Deepa for your lovely and informative article. God bless

  • Allen Fernandes, Navi Mumbai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Once again a good article Dr. Deepa, which gives greater knowledge and understanding, on how to handle the current situation.

  • Suresh Montero, Dubai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Very informative, stay in snd stay safe

  • Melwyn V. D'Souza, Shirva/Dubai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Informative and appropriate article. Thank you Dr. Deepa.

  • Gorge Bush, Tulunad Rajya

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    This is a wonderful article and may people benefit out of this article.

  • C. A. Cardoza, Mangalore

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Thank you dear Dr Deepa,

    Very nice and informative article.

    Stay safe and stay at home.

    C.A. Cardoza

  • Langoolacharya., Belman / Washington, DC.

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Nice and Informative article by Dr Deepa...

    In some cases this COVID-19 infection is asymptomatic... producing or showing no symptoms...Like Common Flu its over in 14 days and person becomes normal..but people he/she infected may exhibit symptoms and may die as well...

    One Specialist Doctor told me....very few patient who are in Ventilator due to Corona Virus ...will come out alive...that's very shocking to me...

    So people prevention is better till we find a Vaccination and medication to treat this Virus..keep social distance of at least 6 feet... wash your hands with soap often, wear face mask and Gloves if possible..stay away from Crowd...Quinine/ Hydro Quinine ( Malaria medicine) is an effective preventive medicine for COVID-19, but has side effects...

    Yesterday CDC Chief was telling... as per projections / Modelling up to 200,000 Americans may die to Corona Virus and peak will come around April 12th around Easter...very scary...

    ...Tak...Takk...

  • AAVIN KEITH FERNANDES, Dakshina Kannada

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Very informative article...thanks Dr.Deepa

  • Fr Robert Dsouza, Mangalore

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Very nice and appropriate article. Well written. Keep it up ma'am Dr Deepa

  • Ken, DXB/MLR

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    @Kishore Kumar, this is true. We have a case here in Dubai, where the husband is in the ICU and the wife. who is an Indian has no symptoms at all. Strange but true. We need to be extra careful, not just for our own protection, but also to protect others since we do not know, if we are the carriers. Stay safe and healthy. Stay at home.

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Luckily we are living in country with warm Climatic Conditions ...

  • Madhuri kamat, Hubli

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Hi readers,
    There is so much of tension and chaos about this disease .It is hard to think positively about our future.This article emphasizes on changing mindset of people in a positive way to rethink for our better living.great thought by deepa who is my dear Deepa, thanku

  • Kishore Kumar, Mangaluru

    Tue, Mar 31 2020

    Doctor,
    I have heard that a person with good immunity who is infected with coronavirus won’t show any symptoms and also there won’t be rise in his body temperature. He will be perfectly normal, however he will be transmitting the virus to others unknowingly during this period. Is it true?


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