Taking care of self-health during COVID-19 pandemic

Taking care of self-health during the pandemic – COVID-19 has challenged all the aspects of being healthy, with the social distancing and community lockdown measures coming into play.This is now leading to a greater threat being posed on the general mental health.

What is the meaning of health and what exactly do we refer to as being healthy? As per the definition given by the World Health Organization (WHO), Health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” So, being healthy would refer to achieving such a state of physical, mental and social well-being. A change in this health scenario took place, when the outbreak of the novel corona virus occurred in mainland China, that gradually rolled out over 188 countries.

The world is asphyxiating with the virus that has infected around 84,06,068 cases globally and claimed over 44,15,835 lives (as of June 18, 2020, 10:59 IST [WHO]). India is no stranger to this global health disaster and has been gravely affected by the pandemic, with a total 3,66,946 cases and 12,237 deaths so far (as of June 18, 2020, 10:59 IST [MoHFW]).The virus transmits through droplets when an infected person coughs or exhales within 1 meter of range to another person or on any object or surface followed by touching eyes, nose or mouth by the one who touches that object. Hence India along with other countries globally, has adopted various public health mitigation strategies to combat with spread of the fatal respiratory infection caused by the virus.

The pandemic situation has challenged all the aspects of being healthy, with the social distancing and community lockdown measures coming into play. In order to break the chain of transmission of the deadly virus COVID-19, India has observed a period of more than 70 days of complete lockdown. Amidst this crisis, people have been held up in their homes cutting them off from physical activities and social interactions leading to a greater threat being posed on the general mental health. Quite recently, we have witnessed the wrath of an ailed mental health with the suicide of the popular bollywood actor, Sushant Singh Rajput. This urges us to re-define the importance of health in our lives as a whole.

Acknowledge and prioritize – Have you checked on your health lately?

The medical director of Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Ben Crocker, says that “Social distancing and the loss of work and/or routine are tremendous pressures, both physically and psychologically. So, check in with yourselfand allow yourself to physically, mentally, emotionally check out on a regular basis. Intentionally create ‘shutdown’ time in your schedule. This can be healthy time alone, for meditation and quietude.”

Along with an extra effort to put on a healthy lifestyle, its important to prioritize self-health above others. Most of us have travelled in the flights and have heard the flight attendants giving instructions, as such – In case of decompression or low pressure, oxygen masks would automatically come down. Pull the mask first and place on yourself before helping others. This gives us a clearer picture, that its critical to take care of our own health, otherwise we would not be able to help others as well.

Healthyfying yourself – The physical health:

Staying caught up in the home for days has deprived us of all daily physical activities one resorts to stay fit and healthy. People who have been in a constant practice of doing regular physical exercises of some form or the other, have an extra advantage in this situation. Though many of us, still find it harder to do the normal regular sort of exercises in our daily life. But it should be understood that, prolonged sitting and staying at home invites a lot of lifestyle diseases and poses a threat on mental health. WHO’s Be Active campaign urges people of all ages to be as active as possible.

The details of the duration of the suggested physical activity per day as per different age groups are listed below;

Age	Minutes per day	Nature of physical activity
3 – 4 years	180 minutes	Physical activity of any intensity
3 – 4 years	60 minutes	Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity
5 – 17 years	60 minutes	Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, with bone and muscle strengthening activities 3 days per week
18 years and above	150 -300 minutes per week	Moderate-intensity physical activity
18 years and above	75 minutes per week	Vigorous-intensity physical activity

The physical activities that can be practiced as a part of daily routine are;

1. Walking up and down on the stairs.

2. Breaking up the prolonged sitting time for 3-4 minutes and doing some light physical activity.

3. Dancing to music for few minutes.

4. Doing some or more stretching exercises.

5. Playing active indoor games.

Adapting to this active lifestyle during this lockdown, can help to prevent many non-communicable diseases such as obesity, Type-2 diabetes, risk of heart diseases etc. These would also help in reducing the risk of depression and improve the overall feelings of an individual. With these health behaviour changes; one also needs to prioritize sleep for getting the adequate rest needed by the body and get replenished for a new day.

Healthyfying yourself – Switch to a healthy diet:

Though no food has claimed to be potent enough to fight against the viral infection caused by COVID-19, but it is an essential component for a human being to survive. But switching to a healthy food habit has lot to do with strengthening the immune system and recuperate faster in cases of illness. So, it is essential to fuel our body with the right choices of nutrition, and the tips for maintaining a healthy diet are listed as under;

1. Eating a lot of wholegrains, fruits and vegetables.

2. Cutting the salt intake to not more than 5 grams a day.

3. Eating moderate amounts of healthy fats and oils.

4. Avoiding processed, baked and fried foods that contain trans-fat.

5. Limiting the regular sugar intake.

6. Drinking ample amount of water and staying hydrated.

7. Avoiding consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

8. Breastfeeding the babies and young children.

WHO has also suggested a 5 Key norm to adopt a safer food practice and prevent food-borne illness during the pandemic.

1. Keep the food clean.

2. Separate raw and cooked food items.

3. Cook food items thoroughly and adequately.

4. Keep food at safe temperatures (avoid storage at < 5⁰ Celsius and cook at > 60⁰Celsius).

5. Use safe water and safe raw materials.

Healthyfying yourself – The mental health:

Social distancing, isolation and community lockdown, as we see them, have proven to be of great impact to prevent the rate of transmission and the risk of new infection. But we can’t deny their mental health impacts as well, as they bring with them fear, panic, uncertainty, and challenges about the present and the future scenario. People are getting inactive, facing the fear of getting infected, worrying about the economic loss, feeling lagged behind in their lives, getting uncertain about their future plans and many more.

Additionally, there has been numerous instances of violence and stigmatization against the frontline health workers. The stigma is also associated with the infected patients or those who have been quarantined at some point of time.Since the dawn of the complete lockdown, our prime minister and other health authorities are stressing to impart these healthy behaviours in our lifestyle, so that we can protect ourselves from the risk of the infection. In every interaction of the prime minister with the countrymen, he has shown his gratitude towards the frontline workers, who are now termed as corona warriors by him.

Despite this, violence against these corona warriors are also coming to light from some part of the country or the other. It’s a matter of shame and also a great concern in a situation where the ratio of patients to the healthcare providers are already below the minimum set proportion and these frontline workers are risking their lives to break the chain of infection. This situation calls for a dire need to take care of the mental health of oneself and the others. Fortunately, there are a lot of things one can do to look after the mental health and also help others who are in need for mental care and support.

1. Connect to family, friends and the community on the virtual platform.

2. Keep yourself informed but not necessarily burden up with news that can cause anxiety and distress.

3. Follow a healthy routine; including morning meditation, yoga, doing work from home, talking to people and also having an adequate self-time.

4. Adopt a hobby and make some time to indulge in that activity every day.