HEALTH LOOKING AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH IN LOCKDOWN WORDS | ALICIA ALVARADOS
BA MBACP, INTEGRATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPIST
D
uring the Covid-19 pandemic we have found ourselves turning into paranoid hygiene warriors, isolated from our tribes and reliant on social media to keep us afloat.
“We are all in this together,” I keep reminding myself as I reattach my mask over my face. All the same, I cannot help wondering how we are all coping. So many of us are affected by the loss of jobs, business closures and cancellation of festivals; some are risking their lives, others have had to become teachers at home, or innovators or volunteers. Most, myself included, are simply struggling. Naturally, our mental health is being negatively affected. Perhaps for the first time in our lives we are trying to manage multiple feelings, in the face of a physical pandemic that has caused unprecedented levels of anxiety, stress, isolation and loss across the globe. It is unsurprising that many of us are finding it difficult to cope. In the light of this, I have two messages for you. One: you are not alone. How you feel is not just affecting you, because we really are all in this together. Two: you are better equipped to fight these negative feelings than you realise. Here are five ‘hacks’ to support you in dealing with your mental health as we await our own versions of normalcy to return.
14 SN JUN 2021
