Coronavirus Outbreak Taking A Toll On Your Mental Health? Follow These Do's And Don'ts

The outbreak of coronavirus, the shutdown, work from home and self-isolation is very much capable of filling one with anxiety and stress. With restaurants, educational institutions, cinema halls and now even malls shut down, the situation is keeping us from using social events as a distraction, and this can leave a negative impact on our mental health. Panicking is probably the worst thing for our mental health right now. We speak to psychologist Dr Sanjay Chugh about tips to take care of your mental health amidst the outbreak of COVID-19.

Coronavirus outbreak: Tips to take care of your mental health

According to Dr Chugh, following are the do's for mental health you must follow:

1. Educate yourself about the disease: Read authentic information coming from sources such as the WHO. WhatsApp is not even an option of last resort.

2. Take necessary precautions. Practise personal hygiene and social isolation.

3. Keep faith: Pray if it helps in giving you the mental strength to calm your nerves.

4. Pick up a book or a hobby to pursue as you stay indoors. It can keep you relaxed.

5. Spend time with family: Use this as time to connect and recuperate. We have all become emotionally isolated through excessive reliance on gadgets and technology. This is a great chance to bond and bind.

6. Keep your mind calm: Yoga and meditation or some deep breathing exercises can be done for keeping calm and feeling less stressed.

7. Take time to declutter your physical space: Cleaning up and organising everything helps in making the mind feel fresh.

8. Exercise indoors: Release of endorphins during exercise can help in uplifting your mood in these tough times.

9. Stay in touch with your friends through group video calls as it keeps the spirits alive.

Mental health tips amidst coronavirus outbreak: Avoid to do the following

1. Do not over consume social media messages and news as a lot of it is fake. It only creates a situation of panic.

2. Don't live in a state of optimistic bias like 'It will not happen to me', 'I am safe.' The crisis is real and it can happen to anyone. Take necessary precautions.

3. Don't spread information that creates fear in the society, unless it comes from a reliable source.

4. Don't exaggerate your anxiety by thinking of the worst case scenarios in your mind.

5. Don't become paranoid or obsessive about handwashing. Moderate yourself.

6. Don't trivialise the seriousness of the situation and live in denial.

(Dr Sanjay Chugh is Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Dr. Chugh's Neuropsychiatry Clinic, New Delhi)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.