Science Backed Tips for Looking After Your Mental Health during COVID19

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, we as humans are now disconnected more than our generation has ever been before. The ubiquitous restrictions put in place by governments worldwide to stop the spread of the virus have separated millions of people from their loved ones. This virus is an invisible enemy that we as a human population do not currently have the necessary vaccine to be able to defeat and the side effects of the restrictions that are being put in place by the government are making it difficult to see anything but a bleak future. All of this has combined to have a significant effect on people’s mental health. Research undertaken by the University of Sheffield and Ulster University [1] showed that on the 24th of March 2020, the day following the UK prime minister’s announcement that the UK would be put into lockdown, 38% of participants in the study reported significant depression while 36% said that they were experiencing significant anxiety. Statistics like these are clear indicators that the impact of COVID19 goes far beyond the effects on physical health. 

With people interacting less, our society has changed. Enormous consequences on mental health have been noted with significant numbers of people reporting signs of depression, anxiety and general distress after lockdown measures were introduced. A study conducted by the University of Adelaide, Tongji University and the University of Sydney [2] examined 369 adults in 64 cities in China after they had been under a full month of lockdown measures since February. The results indicated that most reported signs of negative life satisfaction. Co-author on the study, Professor Andreas Rouch from the University of Sydney highlighted that “work provides a sense of purpose and routine”, which is lacking due to the lockdown measures. It's not only the absence of work that has these effects on people's mental health. Social distancing can also have a bad impact on the mental health of people. Generally, social interactions can help remove the negative effects of stress. Speaking of whether social isolation has any real influence on people's mental wellbeing, there are several hypotheses that it may increase mental distress not only for those who are already lonely but also for those who are slowly starting to keep to themselves.

Social development is key to children's mental health but it is lacking due to the current situation. Cameron Caswell, PhD, a developmental psychologist indicated that if the lockdown is prolonged there can be some negative effects of the social development of teenagers. She says that “being isolated at home can dramatically decrease their opportunities for new experiences and self-discovery” [3]. Overall, the pandemic has had a multifaceted detrimental impact on our health, both physically and mentally, however there are some steps we can take to reduce the impact the lockdown may have on our mental health.   

1. Exercise regularly

This doesn’t just have the obvious effect on your physical health that you might immediately think of. Exercise also increases endorphin levels which lift your mood and make you feel happier. A study on the effect of using exercise as a treatment for depression [4] showed that close to 90% of those treated with exercise recovered, showing just how highly effective exercise can be for your mental health and mood. Even the tiniest bit can make a big difference, so go for it!

2. Control the stream of news you allow yourself to watch [5]

While keeping up to date with the latest news helps keep you informed, it's not all news that is entirely beneficial. The media focuses a lot on negative news. You can simply screen out a part of your daily intake of information. Fill in your hours with more activities. You could get someone else to relay information on to you, or listen to the news while you are exercising which really helps to relieve stress.

3. Maintain social interactions

Face to face communications cannot be possible right now, but you can keep in touch through technology. Not interacting with people only has bad effects on your mental health. It's normal to want to know how everyone else is doing in times like this especially if they are a close relation or friend. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. So instead of stressing, the next best advice would be to start chatting!

4. Try to keep to a routine

Most people have some sort of routine in their daily life. With the sudden nature of the pandemic and the destruction it has done to the structure of everyone’s lives, a sense of routine is more important than ever. Having a routine can help you take better care of yourself both mentally and physically and be more productive [6]. This, in turn, helps you to be less stressed as you try to make sure you get things done. Routines can create a sense of normality and make the world seem a bit less terrifying.

References

[1]  University of Sheffield. (2020, Mar. 31). Depression and anxiety spiked after lockdown announcement, coronavirus mental health study shows [Online]. Available: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/depression-anxiety-spiked-after-lockdown-announcement-coronavirus-mental-health-psychology-study-1.885549

[2]  ScienceDaily. (2020). First Study on the health conditions of adults one month into lockdown [Online] Available:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200408102137.htm

[3]  L.Campbell. (2020). How COVID-19 Could Affect Kids Long term Social Development [Online]. Available: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/social-distancing-effects-on-social-development#But-what-if-this-stretches-on-for-years?  

[4]  M. Babyak, J. A. Blumenthal, S. Herman, P. Khatri, M. Doraiswamy, K. Moore et al.“Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months.” Psychosom Med 62, no. 5, pp. 633–38, Sep 2000.

[5]  S. Lindberg. (2020). Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health? [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/is-watching-the-news-bad-for-mental-health-480232

[6]  K. Cherry. (2020). The Importance of Keeping a Routine During Stressful Times [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-keeping-a-routine-during-stressful-times-4802638#citation-2

Authors

Louise Robertson and Tashinga Mutemachani