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Psychological First-Aid in the time of CoronaVirus

Psychological First-Aid in the time of CoronaVirus

The insidious spread of the pandemic Covid19 has gripped the entire world in a bitter ambiguity. Amidst the blame game for the rise of this unfortunate virus, the entire world is looming under the threat of an unprecedented anxiety and an array of several other mental illnesses along with battling the infection itself.  As godforsaken as the world might seem right now, it is important for us to understand the magnitude of the situation, prepare and shield ourselves with a handy “Psychological First-Aid” customized especially for the current scenario.

As we know that human beings are by nature social animals so it is most likely that majority of us will suffer from Cabin Fever during these times. Cabin Fever refers to erratic mood swings, grouchiness, irritability and suffocation due to indefinite period of isolation like in this lockdown. This can come along with increased bouts of anxiety and lows. It is then essential for us to follow this rad mantra- ‘Recognise’ ‘Accept’ ‘Deal’ (RAD). Instead of shoving the anxieties under the carpet and calling it baseless it is best fit for us to recognize its presence, accept its happening and efficiently deal with the triggers behind it. One of the uber ways to deal with this is to listen to some guided meditation or binaural beats or positive affirmations which help us soothe our nerves and calm us down.
Here are some binaural beats and positive affirmations to start with-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNUHb5ZzqLQ&t=13041s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnRcvJKZeVM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkM-FjfN6Mc&t=489s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGDUogJmrLA&t=58s

It is highly helpful listen to these guided meditation and beats and affirmations right before our sleep as it tunes our subconscious mind faster towards positivity and relaxation. Another rejuvenating alternative is to reconnect back to your hobbies and fuel you inner creativity. Talking about it with our closed ones can also help relieve stress and stay connected.

The next element which is in deep waters right now is our ‘Social Identity’. For us humans our social identity is a top priority and that is equally proportionate to what we do and how we do it in a day. Consequently it is not uncommon for people to spiral down in social identity crises in this quarantine period as lockdown has abruptly halted our everyday routine and chores and forced us to fearfully ponder over “What do I do now?” Without a structured day, we might fall into the discomfort of the existential crises and create a deadlock for ourselves. It is therefore important that we create an organized plan of the things that we would want to do in a day that would give us a sense of satisfaction and feed our self growth. Sleep and eating patterns play a vital role in this schedule and need to be monitored no matter how hard pressed we are to eat that extra snack or sleep for at least half an hour more.

In these turbulent hours, intake of a lot of unnecessary information on the virus can baffle us. Thus it is important that we rationalize and regulate the data which we are consuming from different media platforms and confine ourselves to facts from authentic sources.
As much as it is necessary to stick to a healthy schedule, it’s also crucial that we be less harsh on ourselves during those tough times. And at last it is pivotal for us to always remember that reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of SELF REDEMPTION.

References-

https://blog.coursera.org/mental-health-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips/

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