What to Expect from COVID 19’s Mental and Physical Health Impact
If you are like most people right now, it may be hard to get your mind off of the ongoing pandemic. But, it isn’t all there is. Things could actually turn out for the better if you brace for the Covid 19 mental and physical health impact. It is, of course, not going to be as easy as taking a quick-relief pill. Sometimes, it will not even promise relief and oftentimes, all it leaves is you with your thoughts. The biggest consolation or redemption, perhaps, is your awareness of your mental health, how you handle the stressors, and how you handle your thoughts.
The Covid 19 mental & physical health impact is said to be felt more dramatically when one is recovering from the virus.
Bracing for Bigger Impacts
According to a recent study published in the Lancet Psychiatry, the current pandemic (including its direct and indirect effects) hint at a bigger Covid 19 mental and physical health impact. The researchers were surprised to discover that the disease and some known psychiatric disorders both share a mutual, bigger impact: stress.
As it is, psychiatric patients are more likely to be diagnosed with Covid 19. Covid 19 patients, in turn, are more likely to suffer psychological stress as mental health impacts. Consequently, the team behind the study, a group of professors and psychiatric experts from the University of Oxford, recommend extensive care for psychiatric patients.
Here are some factors, according to the study’s speculations, that makes psychiatric patients vulnerable to Covid 19:
- Existing physical health issues
- Drugs prescribed to treat disorders
What we can take control of, however, is the damage the disease takes upon us post-infection.
Lead author, Oxford psychiatry professor Paul Harrison stated that people who had had Covid-19 “will be at greater risk of mental health problems”.
Implications:
- The healthcare providers, the scientific community, the academic, the government, etc. should identify a more wholesome treatment for stress. Stress, in this case, accounts for a combination of factors that either aggravate Covid 19 or psychiatric symptoms.
- A combination of factors are responsible for the post-Covid 19 relapses, like cultural topographical, and genetic differences. Health factors like flu, kidney stones, broken bones, and other existing diseases take part in addition to that. All these in sum, account to stress in all its forms.
- This clearly encourages us to take control of the situation by acknowledging and addressing our health problems.
- As we currently deal with our physical health problems, it is important that we simultaneously manage the psychological stressors at hand.
Addressing Covid 19 Mental and Physical Health Impact via Stressors:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Unlike normal anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) takes a continuous toll on a person. It not only physically, psychologically, or emotionally drains the person, but it also leads one to suffer from a debilitating illness in the long run. Imagine being afraid or worried for months or years without having an actual reason for such fear. That is what one feels with GAD. Recent studies reveal an increase of GAD cases during the pandemic. Here are some measures you can take to minimize the effects of GAD:
- Exercise regularly
- Induce sleep if possible without using pills and other over-the-counter medications
- Eat healthily
- Meditate
- Avoid coffee and pills
- Talk to trusted friends online
- Maintain a healthy routine
- Do not depend on alcohol or any substances
- Seek psychiatric help online if the condition worsens
Adjustment Disorder
Adjustment disorder proves to be a serious concern because of its nature of building up a combination of symptoms like loneliness, sadness, and frustration in the person after having experienced a traumatic event. Furthermore, it manifests in the form of physical health problems in the long run. It takes a toll on relationships as it causes the triggered person to vent out extreme reactions to close friends or family members at the wrong times. It also hinders the person’s ability to cope both emotionally and physically. Here’s how you can manage this Covid 19 mental and health impact:
- De-stress by avoiding stressful situations, events, and even people
- Live a healthy lifestyle
- Attend online art workshops
- Attend online group therapy sessions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
If you or someone close to you have experienced Covid 19 first-hand, there’s a higher chance you can be triggered by the same patterns as that of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a psychological condition that is triggered by events perceived as traumatic or terrifying. Without proper treatment, this condition recurs and becomes chronic. In turn, the continual stress subjected by PTSD to your mind and body eventually takes a toll on your overall health. Here’s how you can manage its effects:
- Acknowledge the problem by dealing with the traumatic event
- Exercise regularly; live a healthy lifestyle
- Engage in more creative activities online
- Busy yourself with meaningful physical activities and be invested in them
- Pursue what you love doing
- Avoid stressful and negative people
- Go somewhere safe (social-distancing considered), quiet, and isolated where you can take time to reflect on things, breathe fresh air, and appreciate nature
- Seek psychiatric help online if the condition worsens
Reflections:
Psychological illness is as much a concern as the coronavirus. The Covid 19 mental and physical health impact point to a mutual factor: stress. Stress at all levels is both a cause and a consequence in this case. And as the Oxford study reveals, psychological stress is the main takeaway of the pandemic. Thus, it is only right to manage it. While it is true that a layer of other problems – financial, social unrest, etc. – make it hard for us to cope during the pandemic, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we (both collectively and individually) cannot manage these crises and come out successful from it all.
Get Professional Help Amidst the Pandemic
Let go of the worries and get in touch with us. Visit us at MindShift Psychological Services today for genuine stress-management sessions. You don’t have to be alone in dealing with these problems. Seek out Therapists and Psychologists at MindShift Psychological Services and build a solid support system via Family Therapy, Individual Therapy, Couples Counseling, and a step-by-step approach to solving your issues to help you manage problems and strengthen your relationships.
Bracing for the Covid 19 mental & physical health impact is a race against time.
