Mental Health Check-in During COVID-19
How is your mental health since COVID-19 became a headline, have you done a mental health check-in? Have there been dramatic changes to your daily life, or is it business as usual? Mental health is one of the most important things a person needs to take care of, especially in times of higher stress. If you haven’t done a mental health check-in, now is a great time.
What is Mental Health?
Mental health is how a person thinks, feels and acts and it affects your mood, behavior and how you handle different situations. When a person has good mental health they see their value, cope well with stressful situations and make healthy lifestyle choices.
Causes of Mental Health Disorders
Whether it’s social, emotional or psychological, there are many things that affect your mental health. These can include:
- Genetic or family history
- Biological factors or brain chemistry
- Traumatic experiences
Signs of Mental Health Disorders
There are several warning signs of from very minor to very severe symptoms.
Minor:
- Eating too much or too little
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Avoiding social activities
Intermediate to Severe:
- Unexplained aches and pains
- Feeling helpless or hopeless
- Increase in substance use
- Hearing voices
- Believing things that are not true
- Thinking of/or harming yourself or others
- Inability to perform daily tasks such as working
Benefits of Positive Mental Health
It is extremely important to maintain positive mental health. Staying mentally healthy supports your ability to:
- Make good life choices
- Develop and maintain healthy relationships
- Maintain good physical health
- Cope with stressful situations
- Grow your potential
How to Stay Mentally Healthy
Socialize: Social interaction is necessary for everyone. Developing and maintaining good relationships helps a person feel connected. While social distancing has limited how we engage with our friends and family, it’s important to put in the effort to with phone calls or video calls.
Find a Hobby: If you don’t already have a hobby you enjoy, discover one. If you feel like you don’t have free time, schedule time with yourself to find some. You need the time to enjoy yourself.
Contribute to Your Community: Volunteer your time for something that you care about. Many organizations are looking for virtual administrative volunteers. Getting involved with your community can help you relax, and feel good about the impact that you are making at the same time.
Take Care of Yourself: Stay active and feed your body healthy food. This doesn’t mean you have to go to a gym. Go on walks or runs around the neighborhood or ride your bike. Staying active can help you cope with the stress that you are currently dealing with.
Deal With Stress: Avoid situations that make you stressed and if you can’t, try thinking it out into manageable pieces. Then once that’s over, take part in your hobbies or activities to help reduce the stress.
Rest: Your body needs sleep to be healthy and recharge. Make sure you are getting a good amount of sleep every night. Practice good sleeping habits. When you get enough sleep, you will have more energy to do what you love and deal with stressful situations better.
Ask for Help: This can be anything from venting to a friend, asking for advice from a counselor or seeking mental health treatment like counseling. It is important to maintain good mental health, so if you need assistance, contact a professional.
How to Get Professional Help
Lifeline Connections provides compassionate mental health treatments. Each program is tailored to each specific patient and is available even during COVID-19 restrictions through Telehealth services. You can visit Lifelineconnections.org, our Services & Locations information or call (360) 397-8246 for more information.
Source: The Mayo Clinic
