With the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, health officials across the world are advising people to follow social distancing and stay home.
As days will pass, most of us would start feeling isolated and melancholic, affecting our mental health.
Interim commissioner with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Carrie Slatton-Hodges said, “But I feel in particular where people feel like they’re not certain what’s going to happen or that they don’t have a lot of control over the circumstances, it increases anxiety and sometimes depression for persons.”
“So, it’s really important that they pay attention to those things, to know when they’re starting to have signs and symptoms of that and some things that can intervene with that,” she added.
Nevertheless, she said we are lucky to have things that would keep us in touch with our loved ones without actually being physically close to them.
“I think some of the things to keep in mind are that there are ways to stay in touch with people, especially those who are normally our support system,” said Slatton-Hodges.
She continued, “Just like we’re doing today via video on Skype and via telephone, email, text to stay in touch with your regular support system to let them know that you’re OK and vice versa.”
People are staying home but they feel it is quite challenging to stay inside the whole time.
For Tiffany Leese-Garrett and her family, staying home has been challenging at times. She said, “Oh my gosh we’ve been losing our minds. Trying to keep four kids in different age ranges entertained for a week and a half alone is intimidating.”
They are findings new ways to keep themselves busy and their spirits uplifted. Leese-Garrett said, “We did a scavenger hunt today, and we’ve done crossword puzzles. We’re trying everything to keep ourselves busy.”
We do not know how much time we need to spend indoors to stay away from this deadly infection. However, there are ways to cope with our mental health issues during such trying times.
