Trillions around the world are dealing with the stress and the reality of a pandemic. When COVID-19 first started in December 2019, no one knew how much the virus would affect our lives.
On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the COVID-19 as an outbreak. By March 11, it was declared as a pandemic.
Countries from all over the world have closed their borders and stopped their economies. Everyone is asked to stay inside their homes. Frontliners are exposed to the dangers of catching the virus themselves.
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How does a pandemic affect people?
A pandemic is defined as a “worldwide spread of a new disease. When a new disease arises, most have not developed immunity to it. Also, vaccines and cure for the disease are not readily available.
An epidemic is a disease that spreads within a community or region. Unlike an epidemic, a pandemic affects three or more countries. Its effect is on a global scale.
Due to the large scale effect of a pandemic, the impact goes beyond people’s health. One’s work or livelihood are also affected. Daily living habits may also be put on pause. Schools are also canceled. There may also be shortages of everyday supplies or products.
Everyone’s lifestyle may change during a pandemic, which affects your physical, emotional, and mental health. During this time, it’s important to know how to take care of yourself and your family.
When things seem like it’s getting out of hand, here are some basic tips to help you cope with the pandemic.
1. Keep Yourself Busy
If you’re practicing self-isolation to prevent from getting infected or infecting others, you need to keep your mind and body busy.
Staying at home may seem like a vacation, but in reality, it’s not. When you’re at home, far away from your friends and family, you may feel sad, worried, and anxious.
After a long period of self-isolating, you may get cabin fever. Symptoms of cabin fever are:
- Having no desire to move or become active
- Sadness or depression
- Lack of focus
- Lack of patience
- Decreased motivation
- Feeling of Hopelessness
- Difficulty in waking or wanting to be napping all the time
When you start recognizing these symptoms for yourself, you need to switch things up and keep yourself busy.
Try watching new shows or movies. Read a new book. Pick up a hobby or revisit one that you haven’t done in a long time. If you’re up for it, you can also create your own projects to keep your mind and body active.
The key to keeping yourself busy is to find happiness in these activities. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you won’t be able to sustain it. It’s important that you won’t feel like doing the activity is a chore or a task that you need to “just finish.”
2. Schedule Daily Activities
In line with keeping yourself busy, scheduling daily activities can help you mentally prepare for the day. Create a To-Do List or set a specific time for when you will work and when you take breaks.
When you’re staying at home without too many interactions, going through your daily routine can be a little tricky. The days and nights can be combined together and suddenly you don’t know what day it is.
Having a task tracker or a schedule of your daily routine can help you keep track of your day and maximize your time in isolation. But, don’t be too hard on yourself when your schedule isn’t met! It’s fine if you didn’t get to finish a task or two.
Creating a schedule shouldn’t be a way to police your actions. You don’t have to strictly follow your schedule, but having a guide on what you need to do will help you organize your day.
3. Get enough supplies
Now, being in a pandemic, it would seem wise to hoard a lot of supplies when you’re out on a grocery run. Fight the urge to do that! Not only will you help others (who also need those items), you also lessen the risk of overspending and wasting those products.
Instead of hoarding unnecessary amounts of supplies, take the time to plan what supplies you need and for how long you will consume them. Whether it’s food or products that have a longer shelf life, you need to get only what you need.
An easy way to know how much food you need is by planning your meals for a week or two. With a meal plan, you can estimate how much you need. Plus, you can set aside a budget for your grocery runs.
4. Install additional security devices
During a pandemic and difficult times, it is important to feel that you are safe and secured. Your home should be the safest place for you right now. Having a sanctuary where you can let loose and deal with the emotions and stress of the pandemic can help with your mental health.
Your home is no longer just a home. It’s now your vacation destination, your gym, your movie theater, your school, your restaurant, and your place of worship. For some who can still work, it’s also your office.
Therefore, it’s important to take security measures to keep your home safe. The last things that should be in your mind are worries and doubts about your security.
Getting additional security devices such as a front door barricade bar can help protect you and your home. These devices can also ease your mind. You’ll take comfort in the fact that you’ve got a device that can keep any intruders away.
5. Reach out to your friends and family
Even though we’re physically distancing ourselves from each other that doesn’t mean we need to be emotionally-distant to one another. Reach out to your friends and family. Take time to see how they’re doing and to update them on how you are as well.
What’s great is that we have a lot of advanced technology that can help us stay connected with our loved ones. Apps like Skype, Zoom, Facetime, and Google Meet makes communication easier.
Attend a church service online. Chat with your friends. Set game nights or virtual hang-outs regularly with the people you love spending time with.
You can enjoy fun games with apps like House Party, Bunch, and Facebook Messenger. You can even host a movie-watching party if you miss going to the movies with your friends.
It’s essential that you keep and grow the relationships you have before this pandemic started. They are your support group. Plus, it’s a way for you to keep supporting them. Now, more than ever is the time for you to connect with other people.
There you have it! Five basic tips on coping with the pandemic.
You’ll probably notice that there’s no mention of following the news or being up-to-date with what’s happening outside. It goes without saying that you need to be informed about the pandemic to know how to fight it.
However, the trick is to always find the balance of getting the information and overthinking the situation. You need to get the right information and you need to get the right amount to make sure you can be physically and mentally well.
With the right information, you’d know how to avoid getting the virus, how to get well once you get it, and how to not spread it further. The right amount would ensure that you won’t trigger anxiety, anger, depression, and other negative feelings that could damage your mental health.
Make sure you get the right information from trusted sources. Make sure to limit your time in watching, listening, or reading about it, too. Anytime you feel like the news is overwhelming, you need to stop yourself from watching or reading it. You can go back to it once you’re in a better state of mind.
This goes the same with conversations about COVID-19 with your friends and families. If at any time you feel overwhelmed, you can politely say goodbye or shift the topic of conversation. Make sure to also tell them that you are not comfortable discussing the situation at length so they won’t push it, too.
What is the best way to cope with the pandemic?
Remember, this pandemic is not a regular situation in your life. It’s not normal for others as well. You have to be kind to yourself and others. Don’t push yourself too much to become productive, to become well-adjusted, or to even be okay.
There are many uncertainties in this situation so you need to take everything one step at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself if you couldn’t meet your own expectations.
It also goes the same for how you interact with others. Remember, you are not going through this alone. Everyone is going through this pandemic. Make sure you extend your kindness to others. Sooner or later, everyone will need each other’s support.
About Carson Derrow
