5 Tips To Reduce Mental Stress During Lockdown Anxiety and depression have now become a major health problem. More than 264 million people of different ages suffer from depression, all over the world. People who suffer from severe mental stress tend to cause self-harm as well as suicide. There are clinical and non-clinical treatments to reduce mental stress and mental disorders. In this article, we are going to discuss non-clinical tips to reduce mental stress. 5 tips to reduce mental stress The following tips are very general in nature. But if you want a special therapy session, let us know at InstaCare or download the app here. Walking and jogging Physical exercises like walking and jogging are some of the best tools to reduce mental stress. They help you in fighting with depression and anxiety. Walking decreases circulating cortisol levels in the body, a hormone that causes palpitations, increased blood pressure, nervousness and increased blood sugar. It is secreted more when you are under stress and increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Walking also releases endorphins in your body, the hormones that act as a natural painkiller for your body. They help people in sleeping well and staying happy. These hormones also elevate mood, remove irritability and depression. Anxiety also causes breathing problems, by walking and jogging daily you can regularize your breathing pattern. Since movement helps your muscles to relax and get rid of those tense muscles that occur due to anxiety. Spend time with your loved ones Spending time with your friends and family is like therapy. It makes you feel good about yourself. You can focus on how much people love you and how important you are for them. Spend some time of your day with them to reduce mental stress. According to a study, among women especially, spending time with their loved ones release oxycontin in their body, that is a stress reliever hormone. This effect is known as tending and befriend, the opposite of fight or flight response. Try to spend quality time with your children or parents at the park, a nice dinner or at a beach. Having a heart connecting conversation with your family gives you the feeling that you have a proper support system, eventually helping in reducing mental stress. Deep breathing Anxiety causes difficulty in breathing leading to an imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide ratio in the lungs, making you feel dizzy. This happens because when you are in a state of panic, your sympathetic nervous system activates and creates a fight or flight response. Causing difficulty in breathing, elevated blood pressure, and a faster heart rate. Breathing exercises can help in regularizing the breathing pattern, lowering your blood pressure and normalizing the rate heart rate. Simply breathe in slowly through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth keeping your lips pursed, this will create a whooshing sound as you exhale. Repeat this exercise up to some minutes and reduce your mental stress. Creative activities Include different creative activities in your life. Consider doing painting, poetry, pottery, listen to music, do gardening or play games that make you feel relieved and stress-free. Keep yourself busy in activities that make you feel happy. Try to invest time helping others, that will relieve a lot of mental stress. When you are creating a difference in someone’s life, it makes you feel so satisfied. All these things distract your mind from thoughts that bother you and cause mental stress and anxiety. Doing different activities are a source of fun and happiness, they help a lot in changing your mood into a positive one. Connect to Allah In the Quran, Allah says, “For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” (94:5). This ayat explains to us that not after hardship there is ease, it says that with hardship there is ease. This shows that everything we think is a hardship has some ease and goodness in it. We do not understand what is good behind that, therefore we think that is bad for us. When we are in some kind of mental stress, Allah also gives us the strength to bear it, He will never leave you alone. Try to make five times prayer a habit, you will surely feel good after that. Prayer is the best tool for Muslims to reduce mental stress. Make a prayer to Allah regularly, talk about everything that is bothering you and you will feel so light and refreshing. Open your heart in front of Allah and have a firm belief that He can change things. Allah loves those people who are patient and seek His mercy. Conclusion You should consult your therapist about things that are bothering you. Even during Quarantine, you can connect with a therapist through the Instacare Telemedicine App or visit here. Along with that try to sleep well, decrease caffeine intake, make a proper routine and focus on the positive things in life. Always think about the blessings of life, rather than the ones you did not get. Try to keep yourself busy and be optimistic. You are stronger than you think! For more info, visit here.
Mental Conditions That Can Develop In Quarantine Everyone has a different way to react to a situation. In this coronavirus pandemic, people have to strictly follow the quarantine. This could be a source of relaxation and spending time with your family members, or a source of stress for many. An abrupt change in one’s social rhythm can cause mental conditions. In this article, we will discuss the mental conditions that can develop in quarantine. What is quarantine? Firstly, we need to know what is quarantine. According to the NPR, the definition of quarantine is; “Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.” The word quarantine was first used by the people of Venice, Italy in 1127 due to a leprosy outbreak. Then after 300 years later, the people of the United Kingdom imposed its use due to the plague outbreak. In Canada in 2003, people also went into quarantine due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. West African villages also practiced quarantine in 2014 due to the ebola virus outbreak. Now almost the whole world is in quarantine due to coronavirus outbreak. Mental Conditions in quarantine Following are the conditions that have high chances to get developed in a quarantine. Feeling of helplessness The effects of quarantine on mental health include a feeling of helplessness. People feel that they have no control over the situation, which haunts them. They think that they cannot go out by their will. This creates panic and negativity around people. No social activity People have to stay at home for long periods without any social gathering. This is so stressful for people especially those who are extrovert, who like to meet other people. They cannot go to a restaurant, host a party at home or sit together and play cards. There is no source of relaxation with family and friends. Since spending time with your loved ones make you a happy and healthy person. You feel refreshed while going out on a weekend for dinner or any other activity. One of the negative effects of quarantine on mental health is that people have to socially disconnect from each other, hence getting a feeling of depression. Health risks Depression and anger are the major side effects of quarantine on mental health. People start feeling anxious about what the future holds for them. They continuously think about how will they get over the situation, how are they going to do their groceries and other stuff, how will they cope with the financial strain. These things constantly keep them worried and anxious leading to depression and anger. The feeling of loneliness, sadness, fear, anxiety, and continuous stress makes them suffer from severe mental health issues. Post-traumatic stress symptoms Post-traumatic stress disease occurs when a person goes through a severe shocking, strange event. They face symptoms like panic attacks, nightmares, and anxiousness. This can also happen when people have to go through quarantine for a long period. The adverse effects of quarantine on mental health are so severe that they need time to completely wipe out. Some people can even start drugs and alcohol abuse. These habits are usually carried till three years after the end of quarantine. Claustrophobic people Quarantine is like hell for people who suffer from claustrophobia. Locking them up in a small tight place makes them suffer from panic attacks and anxiety. They continuously have to tell themselves that this will be over. Since these people feel suffocated in small places, they have to spend day and night at a single place in quarantine. This could deteriorate their mental health a lot. Stress for elderly The elderly people are already at risk of catching the coronavirus. They strictly have to stay at home for long periods. Since many elderly people are already dependent on people, quarantine adds more to their stress. They feel so low and depressed by lying on the bed the whole day and night. A little outing can refresh them, which is impossible in quarantine. What to do? Since the whole country is under lockdown currently, and social distancing is must, the best solution is to consult a doctor remotely. Instacare is providing free corona consultations to diagnose if you have corona or not. Also, the following video might help you. We can just hope to get out of the quarantine soon. This phase of quarantine is so stressful for all the people. But, at the same time, we should try to be more constructive at home. We can do many things to keep us entertained. Doing activities related to art and craft, painting, reading, gardening, decorating home can help us to get rid of stress and boredom. Do little new activities daily to keep yourself protected from mental illness. Try not to worry about little things that affect mental health.
