Mental health is an issue that impacts people of all ages; some mental illnesses more severe or debilitating than others. Likewise, the global pandemic, COVID-19, is impacting people of all ages, all over the world. As the COVID-19 virus is forcing people to stay at home, some people are having a harder time coping with this necessary precaution; most notably people that suffer from some sort of mental illness.
People that suffer from mental illness are having a hard time dealing with their illness due to the lack of socialization and lack of distractions that they have while stuck at home. Likewise a change of scenery is usually good for people suffering from mental illness; something that they no longer can get due to the global pandemic. A specialist that works with in-home senior care clients pointed out that dealing with mental illness while in quarantine is mentally exhausting no matter how old a person is.
If you or a loved one are suffering with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, this post will aim to give you some suggestions as to how to deal with mental illness during these trying times.
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Preserve Your Mental Health and Cope with Mental Illness
The COVID-19 quarantine is hard for everyone in the world, let alone a person dealing with a mental illness. Some of the most common mental illnesses that people deal with include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar Disorder
- OCD
- Eating Disorders
- Schizophrenia
No matter the mental illness that a person is dealing with, it’s very possible that it can become worse or more apparent while in quarantine. Here are some healthy and easy ways to deal with mental illness while in quarantine.
Practice Healthy Behaviors
People cope with stress and hard situations differently, especially those that suffer from some sort of mental illness. If you suffer from a mental illness, it’s crucial that you keep yourself busy during quarantine with healthy behaviors. It’s easy to let one’s mind and thinking get out of hand while in quarantine with limited distractions. However, it’s imperative that you make an active effort to occupy yourself with healthy behaviors. One must occupy his or her mind in order to not hyperfocus on the mental illness at hand.
In addition to it being easy to focus on your mental illness while in quarantine, it’s also easy to practice unhealthy behaviors in order to cope, such as drinking copious amounts of alcohol, watching endless hours of TV, or turning to food for comfort. Here are some healthy behavior ideas that will occupy your mind while in quarantine:
- Start a blog
- Read a book series you haven’t read before
- Rearrange your room or home
- Join an online workout class
- Try making new healthy recipes
- Go through your closet
- Do an online yoga class
- Look up online crafts
- Try painting
- Join FaceTime or Zoom hangouts with friends and family
These healthy behaviors will leave you feeling accomplished while also occupying your mind as much as possible in order to not let your mental illness take over.
Find a Person to Confide In
This is true even when the COVID-19 quarantine is over. If you are suffering from mental illness, it’s important that you have a person that you can confide in. Everyone needs someone to listen to how they are feeling, and this is especially true for people that have a known mental illness. While in quarantine, it’s common for different mental disorders to come out more so than normal because there are fewer distractions, and the fact that the world is in the midst of a pandemic.
Make sure that you have a person to listen to how you are feeling and a person that will check in on you. Likewise, if you live alone, make it a point to call the person you confide in daily. Or, try to be the person that other people can confide in, as this will benefit another person as well as your own mental health.
Try to Keep Life as Normal as Possible
This is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind if you are suffering from a mental illness while in quarantine. Keeping life as normal as possible means still continuing to take your medication, still staying active and eating healthy, still doing your job as best as you can, and still caring for your family or pets the same way you would prior to quarantine. Practicing a normal daily task will help you keep a sense of normalcy which will help your mental health and your mental illness.
Your Mental Health is Just as Important as Your Physical Health
Your mental health and wellness are just as important as your physical health so paying attention to your mental illness while in quarantine is just as necessary as the precautions you are taking to prevent COVID-19. If you are dealing with mental illness and are finding it increasingly hard to cope with, reach out to a hotline or your doctor to see what else you can do in order to live comfortably.
*Note: This article is just a rough guide, and nothing in this review should be taken as medical advice. Always be sure to check with your doctor before you start on any new treatment or protocol.
Read More: The Rise of Online Counseling & The Nuances of Online Communication
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