Psychosocial impact of COVID-19

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19  during lockdown are plenty. Managing your mental health and psychosocial well-being during this time is as important as managing your physical health.

corona-and-mental-health As a author of this article I feel that I have lots of pressure of family, work, career, children and surrounding that directly or indirectly influence me. Feeling under pressure is a likely experience for me and many of my colleagues. In the current situation,it is quite normal to be feeling this way. Stress and  feelings associated with it are by no means a reflection that you cannot do your job or that you are weak. Managing your mental health and psychosocial well-being during this time is as important as managing your physical health.

1.Take care of your health and well being during lockdown, so that family should not be affected.

2.Try and use helpful coping strategies such as ensuring sufficient rest and respite during work or between shifts, eat sufficient and healthy food, engage in physical activity, and stay in contact with family and friends.

3.Avoid using Tobacco, Alcohol, Bidi, Cigarettes or other drugs. In the long term, these can worsen your mental and physical well-being. The COVID-19 outbreak is a unique and unprecedented scenario for many workers.

4.You should know how you can de-stress and you should not be hesitant in keeping yourself psychologically well.

5.Some healthcare workers may unfortunately experience avoidance by their family or community owing to stigma or fear. This can make an already challenging situation. If possible, staying connected with your family and friends, through digital methods to maintain contact.

6.Use easy ways to share messages with people with intellectual, cognitive and psychosocial disabilities.

7.Provide support to people who are affected by COVID-19 and know how to provide them with available resources. This is especially important for those who require mental health and psychosocial support. The stigma associated with mental health problems may cause reluctance to seek support for both COVID-19 and mental health conditions.

8.The health workers should be protected from chronic stress and poor mental health during this response means that they will have a better capacity to fulfill their roles.

9.Be sure to keep in mind that the current situation will not go away soon and you should focus on longer-term occupational capacity rather than repeated short-term crisis.

psychosocial-impact of covid 1910.Authentic communication and information updates are provided to all by government of India. Follow the guideline circulated by Ministry of health & Family welfare, Govt. of India. Don’t believe on fake new circulated by antisocial element on social media, e.g. Wats app message etc;

11.Listen ‘Mann Ki Baat” carefully and follow the instruction given by our honorable Prime Minister(Mr. Narendra Modi).

12.Rotate workers from higher-stress to lower-stress functions. Partner inexperienced workers with their more experienced colleagues. The buddy system helps to provide support, monitor stress and reinforce safety procedures.

13.Ensure that outreach personnel enter the community in pairs. Initiate, encourage and monitor work breaks. Implement flexible schedules for workers who are directly impacted or have a family member affected by a stressful event. Ensure that you build in time for colleagues to provide social support to each other.

14.Supporting staffs are aware of where and how they can access mental health and psychosocial support services and facilitate access to such services. Team leaders are facing similar stresses to their staff and may experience additional pressure relating to the responsibilities of their role.

15.Orientation for nurses, ambulance drivers, volunteers, case identifiers, teachers and community leaders and Asha workers in quarantine sites, on how to provide basic emotional and practical support to affected people using psychological services.

16.Manage urgent mental health and neurological complaints (e.g. delirium, psychosis, severe anxiety or depression) within emergency or general healthcare facilities. Trained and qualified staff may need to be deployed .

17.Isolated elderly with cognitive decline/dementia, may become more anxious, angry, stressed, agitated and withdrawn during the outbreak or while in quarantine. Need to provide practical and emotional support through families and health professionals.

18.Share simple facts about what is going on and give clear information about how to reduce risk of infection in words to older people with/without cognitive impairment.

19.Engage family members and other support networks in providing information and helping people to take preventive measures (e.g. hand washing, social distancing, etc.).

20.If you have an underlying health condition, make sure to have access of medicine that you are currently using. Start your social contacts/social apps for your daily needs provided by Government of India.

21.Be prepared and know in advance where and how to get practical help if needed, like calling a taxi, having food delivered and requesting medical care. Make sure you have up to two weeks of all your regular medicines that you may require.

22.Learn simple daily physical exercises to perform at home, in quarantine or isolation so you can maintain mobility and reduce boredom.

23.Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible or create new ones in a new environment, including regular exercising, cleaning, daily chores, singing, painting or other activities. Keep in regular contact with loved ones (e.g. via telephone, e-mail, social media or video conference). Messages for people who are in isolation ward.

24.Stay connected and maintains your social networks. Try as much as possible to keep your personal daily routines or create new routines if circumstances change. If health authorities have recommended limiting your physical social contact to contain the outbreak, you can stay connected via telephone, e-mail, social media or video conference.

25.During times of stress, pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly, keep regular sleep routines and eat healthy food.

For children:

1.Help children find positive ways to express feelings such as fear and sadness.

2.Engage the child in a creative activity, such as playing , drawing and indoor games.

3.Children feel relieved if they can express and communicate their feelings in a safe and supportive environment.

4.Keep children close to their parents/family, and avoid separating children as much as possible but teach them importance of social distancing.

5.Maintain familiar routines in daily life as much as possible, or create new routines, especially if children must stay at home. Use separate towel for children.

6.Engaging age-appropriate activities for children, including activities for their teaching and learning.

7.Encourage children to continue to play and socialize with others, even if only within the family when advised to keep social distance.

8.During times of stress and crisis, it is common for children to seek more attachment and be more demanding.

9.Discuss COVID-19 with your children in age-appropriate way. If your children have concerns, addressing them together may ease their anxiety.

10.Children will observe adult’s behaviours and emotions for cues on how to manage their own emotions during difficult times (LOCKDOWN).

dr-vivek-kumar-Delhi.

Vivek Kumar Jha 

Associate Professor -Speech and Hearing

Department of Audiology and Speech, Language Pathology

Faculty of Behavioural Sciences

SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana,India

E mail : jhavivek98@yahoo.com  Mob:09560276840

 

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