Stay positive to ease mental stress: Experts

PATNA: The growing number of Covid-19 cases is taking a toll on the mental health of people in the city. The constant fear of getting infected by the virus is leading to a sense of anxiety and helplessness among people of all age groups. Mental health experts said these ailments can end up being traumatic or chronic, which can be more disastrous than the pandemic itself.

Delhi-based mental health expert Dr Vidya Nair said accepting that the pandemic is not in our control is the only way to deal with it. “People need to understand that stressing out or panicking about the current situation won’t improve it. Instead, they should use this time on their personal growth. Many people face problems in sharing their feelings. They should, thus, write a journal or a letter to themselves,” she said.

Nair said people should focus on the positive aspects. “They should see the factsheet, which shows mortality rate is much less than recovery rate in the country,” she said.

City-based clinical psychologist Dr Binda Singh said people need to understand that there is always a solution to every human problem. “People need to accept that the virus has affected everyone equally and they are all dealing with it. Losing patience in times of crisis is not an option as it can worsen everything,” she said.

Elaborating on how the pandemic brought positive changes in lives of people, Singh said, “One of my regular patients, who used to complain about her son not giving her importance, said Covid-19 has completely changed his behaviour. The woman’s son now spends time with her and helps her in the kitchen.”

As the pandemic has also led to job losses and unemployment, the uncertainty about future has led to surge in anxiety and frustration among mant. Nodal officer and associate professor of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) De-Addiction Centre Santosh Kumar said, “Whenever something like this happens, people stop thinking about positive aspects. I agree there has been an increase in unemployment, but lockdown is the time when people can actually enhance their skills. Moreover, this is the first time in decades that they have actually got some time to spend with their loved ones.” For 24-year-old Mohit Dahiya, the first two months of the pandemic were very frustrating. It was only in June when he realised that he could actually use this time in good things. “I have planned to start a business after the pandemic ends. This way I will be able to save a lot of extra time,” he said.

Shagufta Nazreen, a collegian, said her friends helped her in coming out of the dark phase when she used to get anxiety and panic attacks.