Strategies to manage your mental health during COVID-19
Many people are feeling the weight of stress or impacted mental health at the moment so Glen and John had a chat with Franco Greco – founder and Principal Psychologist at Your Psychologist. He shared some strategies on how to support your mental health throughout this challenging time – have a listen to the episode and read more info below:
Never before have Australians been so restricted in their movement and the ways they can connect with other people. These are extraordinary rules on our movement. For many, having far fewer social interactions may result in more loneliness. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, I have put together a tool kit to specifically provide advice to Millennials to help them deal with their feelings of loneliness, isolation and anxiety at this time.
Risk factors for millennials
Millennials are experiencing more depression, anxiety, uneasiness and pessimism
According to a 2019 report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, major depression diagnoses are rising at a faster rate for Millennials – a 47% increase since 2013 – compared to any other age group. And a 2018 survey from the American Psychiatry Association found that they are by and large the most anxious generation.
Deloitte Millennial Survey 2019 highlights that:
“Millennials and Generation Z are expressing uneasiness and pessimism about their careers, their lives and the world around them, according to Deloitte’s eighth annual Millennial Survey. In the past two years especially, we’ve seen steep declines in respondents’ views on the economy, their countries’ social/political situations, and institutions like government, the media and business.”
Events in 2020, Australian bushfires and now COVID-19, has only exacerbated these thoughts and feelings.
Millennials may be experiencing more loneliness
Yougov conducted an survey online (July 2019) in the US that found that:
Millennials report feeling lonely much more often than their Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts. While 30% of Millennials say they always or often feel lonely, just one in five (20%) members of Generation X says the same. Even fewer Baby Boomers (15%) report feeling lonely with the same frequency.
Millennials are also more likely than older generations to report that they have no acquaintances (25% of Millennials say this is the case), no friends (22%), no close friends (27%), and no best friends (30%).
However, a majority (70%) of Millennials do report that they have at least one best friend. Nearly half (49%) say that they have between one and four “close friends.”
Strategies to manage Your Mental Health During COVID-19
I have a number of Millennial clients who have expressed “feeling anxious” . . . “feeling loneliness from social isolation” . . . “fear that I [or my parents] will get sick.” Here are some questions you asked about in how best to manage anxiety, stress and other mental health issues during COVID-19.
What are some techniques to help maintain your mental health during a crisis like we are now experiencing?
Social relationships are important for health, and so it is important that in reducing our risk of exposure or our risk if spreading the disease, we don’t become cut off from our families, friends, and communities.
Even before the COVID pandemic began, we already knew we had a growing problem of social isolation and loneliness in Australia. Instead of “social distancing”, think of the new measures we are all being asked to take as “physical distancing”. In other words, while we might keep our distance physically, we should find ways to stay as connected as we can.
Whether you are physically self-isolating, or whether you are just trying to come to terms with the changes to how we need to live for a while, we have some sources of information for you about how to take care of yourself.
If you’re looking for general advice and sources of help:
Lifeline’s “Mental health and wellbeing during the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak” includes information on staying connected, managing your wellbeing including during quarantine, and where to go for help and support.
The Australian Government’s Head to Health website has a dedicated COVID-19 section with a range of resources and links.
Beyond Blue has a dedicated page on their site, which includes a link to the Australian Psychological Society’s advice.
Black Dog Institute also has a dedicated page on their website with resources for anxiety, stress and wellbeing.
Why is our sleep so screwed when we get stressed about everything, money, health, life?
Sleep is as important as a healthy diet and exercise. Inadequate sleep can induce and/or make our feelings of anxiety and stress seem worse (Anxiety and Sleep, Sleep Health Foundation). We may not be able to think clearly or make sensible decisions, making it difficult to concentrate at school or work (Memory, Thinking and Sleep, Sleep Health Foundation). We can become upset, angry and irritable more easily. This can all have negative effects on our relationships with family, friends and in our workplaces.
Inadequate sleep can also affect our physical health. When we do not get enough sleep or if our sleep is disrupted this can negatively impact our diet, physical activity levels and even blood pressure levels.
Importantly, sleep helps us fight off infection. When sleep is of poor quality it can impair our immune response. In addition, poor sleep might result in 'flare-ups' of other chronic illness/diseases:
Sleep is involved in the regulation of immune cells, that is, cells that fight off infection.
People who are sleep deprived have increased risk of contracting a virus when exposed to it.
What are some mindset strategies for dealing with “work survivors guilt” when close friends are being stood down?
The majority of research on the response of employees to downsizing has centered on layoff victims; few studies have focused on the people who survived the layoff. But, these tips will assist you with the emotional aspects of coping with the loss of your co-workers:
Recognise that your emotions are legitimate.
You may need to experience the stages. Recognise that you may need to experience each of the stages of loss, or certain stages of grieving as described in Kubler-Ross’s groundbreaking studies about grief.
Seek support from your supervisor or manager.
Attempt to recreate the daily patterns.
Treat yourself with kindness.
Talk out your feelings with co-workers.
Think about your co-workers who were laid off and connect with them.
There is more detail at this link.
I feel the immense pressure at work right now to perform at an even higher level, for threat of reduced hours or worse. How can I manage this daily stress? I constantly feel physical panic in my body because of it.
Practice Self-Awareness
Before you can improve your situation, it’s important to understand what exactly is creating your anxious feelings or worsening the symptoms of your condition.
Share Your Feelings
It may be helpful to talk to a trusted co-worker as they can relate to and sympathise with your anxiety. If you don’t have a co-worker you trust, you can talk to a friend, family member or mental health professional. Talking about anxiety with the right person can help you process these intense emotions and it can be validating if the person is supportive and understanding. They might also have ideas or suggestions to help you cope.
Release Your Thoughts
Anxiety feeds off itself and one anxious thought can turn into 100 pretty quickly. There’s no way I will meet this deadline. What if something else comes up? If you’re feeling inundated with this kind of thought-spiral, it can be helpful to release your thoughts.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by writing them all down. Do a brain dump of all your anxious thoughts – not to understand them, but just to get them “out.” The idea of these practices is that you can’t write as fast as you can think, so you’ll actually be slowing down while you release your unhelpful thought patterns.
Grounding (like 5,4,3,2,1) and breathing exercises are also useful.
Know When to Ask for Help
If you’re drowning in work, having a hard day or feeling like you can’t meet your supervisor’s expectations, ask your colleagues for help. While it may feel like everyone handles their own work and stress independently, and you should too, this is often not beneficial to anyone. Asking for help when you need it alleviates your burden and builds trust among coworkers. If you feel guilty for taking up their time, offer your support the next time they need help.
Take Time Off
There is no shortage of research about how important it is for your mental health to get regular breaks from work to decompress and reset. It gives you something to look forward to, time to reflect and practice gratitude. Time off also helps build resilience.
Accept Anxiety
The more you fear anxiety, the more powerful it can become. Part of reducing anxiety is accepting that sometimes work is going to make you feel that way. This is a lot easier said than done, but it comes with practice. So, next time you feel your thoughts and heartbeat start to race, take a moment, sit at your desk and tell yourself: “I feel anxious right now and that’s okay. I’m uncomfortable with this feeling and that’s okay. I don’t know how long this will last, and I’m okay with that.” Tell yourself these things and mean them. It can be surprising how much this small act can help.
Workplace anxiety happens to everyone. But for those who experience it regularly, it’s not something you should push aside or ignore. Even if you feel stressed out and under pressure, it’s important to take time to manage your anxiety. Work is important, but it’s not worth your mental health.
Franco has gathered some useful resources relating to COVID-19 below:
https://www.yourpsychologist.net.au/covid-19-tools
https://www.yourpsychologist.net.au/covid-19-videos
https://www.yourpsychologist.net.au/coronavirus-latest
https://www.yourpsychologist.net.au/copy-of-covid-19-articles
To get in touch with Franco head to: www.yourpsychologist.net.au
