Coping Mechanisms For Our Mental Health Well Being During The Covid 19 Pandemic

COPING MECHANISMS FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH WELL BEING DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC

Image: Mental health and wellness during Covid-19: Energy resourcing 2020

Yedidah Biribonwa Sentongo, A Master of Counseling Psychology, BSc.Nursing, Dip Health Tutor, Dip G.N, Dip Psyc. Nur. Shares with us here Some Mental Health/Psychosocial Tips for Nurses and Midwives During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and midwives, plus other health workers have remained focused on supporting their patients/clients and continuing to do their jobs during this very trying time. In some cases, this may mean nursing, care-taking (whether for children, spouse or other loved ones), since as a nurse you are those people’s reliable expert and continuing to work through these challenges that anyone else is. While resources related to mental health have been (rightfully) front and centre for supporting the populations, less focus has been paid to maintaining the mental health of the nurses/health workers who are also trying to find balance in the new way of living. By nature of their calling, demand from those they serve and complexity of nursing care which by all means must be hands on: nurses /midwives cannot carry out their service virtually.

In the line of duty, COVID-19 health workers will encounter a number of extreme stressors or demands. These stressors/demands can impact upon an individual’s capacity to do their work. In highly interdependent teams, like those working in ICU, the impact of stressors/ demands at the individual level can have onward implications for the safety, performance, and health and wellbeing of others, including other staff members and patients.

Stress during an infectious disease outbreak can cause the following:

✔ Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones, your financial situation or job, or loss of support services you rely on. ✔ Changes in sleep patterns, difficulty sleeping, or workers may have to do long, consecutive shifts leaving little time for sleep. ✔ Worsening of chronic health problems/ mental health condition ✔ Increased use of tobacco, and/or alcohol and other substances. ✔ Tiredness/fatigue due to lack of sleep and high workload ✔ Hunger and dehydration or change in eating patterns: workers may not have the time to eat or when they do have time, they are too tired to prepare healthy meal. ✔ Interdependence: working closely with others for long periods and being reliant on each other can lead to tension

Amidst all what is being said here are some mental health tips that can help during COVID-19

1. Control the Controllable During COVID-19

There are certain things that you simply cannot control right now for example: who will be impacted by

COVID-19, whether it will be you, how things will evolve. But there are some things that you can control: how you spend some of your time, what you choose to prioritize, what types of media you consume (and how frequently) and your mindset, to name a few. Encouraging individuals to focus on what is within their control and minimize the extent to which they are forecasting to the future can help reduce threat. Focusing attention on processes rather than speculating on outcomes might help. By focusing on the things that you can control and prioritizing the ones that are healthy, you can help to put your mental wellness front and centre.

2. Curve Out Time for Self-Care to Maintain Your Mental Health

Now, more than ever, we are acutely focused on physical health, and preventing illness–washing hands, social distancing, and engaging in healthy practices. But it is just as important, for maintaining mental health, to try to curve out some time to prioritize the other things that help us feel balanced: for some, it is exercise, for others, it is reading nice articles, the bible or Qur’an, journaling, meditation, or spending time doing a hobby.

And, if you are someone who is a workaholic, requesting for off duty time is very important during which time you will need to do those things that give pleasure like watching a nice movie or dancing at home with your family. Still if you are one who isn’t sure of what you can do for your self-care, simply the act of doing something e.g. telephoning a friend to converse, talking to your household about SOPs as a reminder to them can help maintain your mental health.

3. Get Your Body Moving to Help Your Mental Wellness

One of the biggest challenges for many nurses and midwives during this time is how hard it is to be away from family if you are a front line COVID-19 health care worker or even in any other health care department for you cannot tell who is having the virus. As you work around your schedule, set a timer or create breaks for you to specifically move around– this might mean moving around your house, or taking a walk around your building or neighbourhood– obeying physical distancing recommendations, of course. Anything to get your body moving will help maintain your mental wellness.

4. Model Self-compassion

Now, more than ever, we need to be incredibly kind to ourselves to help maintain mental wellness. We teach ourselves, colleagues and households all of the time– the basics of self-compassion, kind self-talk, kind selfconsideration. Now is the time to also turn it inwards to look at and consider our mental/psychological wellbeing; by doing so, you’ll benefit your own mental wellness and also be able to model it for others in your life. Workers should be encouraged to think about and develop good sleep routines. This might include limiting the use of mobile devices just before bed and avoiding social media that might lead to raised activation levels. Under conditions of sleep deprivation, napping can help minimize sleep debt and contribute to maintained function.

5. Set Reasonable Expectations (for yourself and others)

Collectively, we need to acknowledge that we are in the midst of a pandemic with many restrictions– and that it is not business as usual. Things are already different or even going to keep changing and that is okay. We can’t expect to be as productive, or on top of it, or gather together as we once did. If you are one of those, like many, who is trying to balance nursing work with other extra duties, there is no possible way that you can do all things for all people all of the time. By setting small, realistic goals and expectations around what you actually could be capable of, you will be setting yourself up to feel much more fulfilled and help maintain your mental health.

6. Communication is Vital for Maintaining Mental Health

To reduce feelings of threat, individuals should have an outlet to share their concerns and know that their worries are being noted. Where solutions are possible, these should be quickly implemented. Let people know what is going on– especially colleagues and supervisors. Being transparent about what you are experiencing, may be helpful, and potentially expand your own network of resources and support. You may also be modelling healthy communication for other colleagues to follow suit. Do not keep problems e.g. feeling unwell/sick, thinking you might have contracted Covid-19 yet not but then you are getting sleepless nights.

7. Be unapologetic.

We live in an “I’m sorry” culture. During this time, consider how often you apologize, and ways in which you can stop. Be unapologetic about taking time for yourself, setting realistic goals, setting boundaries, and being clear and transparent about what you are capable of (and what you need). This is one of the hardest things to do for many, but yet so important for maintaining mental health and wellness. If issues are encountered, discussing them in a calm and controlled manner is advised. A psychologically safe environment, created by leaders, will enable open and honest conversations. So, this means that one has to find ways of expressing kindness, patience, and compassion to self. This is a hard time for everyone.

Humans across the world are sharing this experience with you. We are in this together and all of us may emerge with a renewed appreciation for our interconnectedness. Helping others in need is both critical to get through this well, and also creates more purpose to our well-being.

8. A Dedicated Workspace Can Improve Mental Wellness

This is a psychological trick that helps you to be both more productive, and to disconnect from work more easily. When working especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can quickly fall into an unhealthy balance between work and life, especially if you are working in the areas far from your home in which you’re required to travel especially by public transport. By creating a dedicated workspace: even if it is just one corner of the health care facility/ infrastructure that you designate as “work only,” you can do two things: you can send an outward message to those in your life that when you are in that space you are working, and also an internal message to your own brain that signals when it is work mode and when it is time to disconnect.

9. Limit media to reduce anxiety.

By now you have heard this recommendation many times and there is research behind it: Watching or scrolling through the media makes us even more anxious. An excess of news and visual images about a traumatic event can create symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and poor health years later, according to research by UC Irvine's Roxy Silver, PhD, and others. Try to limit COVID-19 media exposure to no more than twice a day (e.g., checking for updates in the morning and before dinner) and try to avoid reading about

COVID-19 before bedtime. Take a vow not to forward (and thus propagate) alarming headlines to friends and family. The media often creates an exaggerated impression of global panic.

Get and provide warm, comforting, social support by video, phone, or text is critical.

10. Reach Out

If you feel as if you are having a tough time in your mind, and are struggling in any way with enjoying things, balancing your mood, or finding time to take care of yourself–or if you have any thoughts of hurting yourself–please reach out to a counsellor. Ask your health provider or facility that will help you locate a counsellor, most of whom have switched to offering online counselling services. What we are experiencing right now is hard– and trained professionals across the country continue to mobilize to serve as front line responders for our minds in the same way doctors have for our bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are contacts of professionals that will help and offer you psychosocial support: Dr. Abbo on 0700700470, Dr. Nakasujja on 0772419700, Dr. Muron on 0783998841, Florence on 0776403177, Mutibwa on 0705550863. If you are upcountry, there is a mental health/psychosocial support person on the task force.

There is hope so pray with me:

"Dear Jesus, I feel so anxious about my life. I am tired of thinking about everything going wrong. I need to change the way I live and think. Please forgive me for the wrong things I have done. I want You to be My Lord and Saviour. Help me make a new start 10 in life. Please take my anxiety and help me discover peace that comes from knowing You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!"