Anxiety is a normal reaction to uncertainty and things that may harm us. Right now for many of us, the coronavirus and the COVID-19 illness make for a very uncertain future. People worry about their own health and the health of their loved ones, here and abroad. People may also have a lot of concerns around school or work, their finances, their ability to take part in important community and social events and hobbies, and other important parts of their lives. People who already experience a lot of anxiety may find their anxiety worsening.
It’s important to be kind to yourself. This is an anxious and stressful time for everyone, and it’s okay if you feel more anxious than usual, and it’s okay to take time for yourself to manage your mental health. You are doing the best you can in a time when simply turning on the news can feel overwhelming.
While anxiety is a normal and expected reaction to the pandemic, too much anxiety can start to cause harm. Feeling stressed and fearful every day takes a toll on health and well-being very quickly.There are multiple factors that impact our health on a daily basis, and this couldn’t be any truer today. Modern advances in psychiatric medicine have found causation to be more and more integrated to lifestyle and environmental factors, often finding the fundamental cause to be multifactorial. Merely prescribing pharmaceuticals as monotherapy during any type of crisis needs to be re-evaluated.
Recent advances in clinical research in the field of mental health are drawing strong connections to family, community, diet & nutrition, environmental toxicity, faith, stress management, etc. as fundamental factors for optimizing our mental health and well-being. Below are my top strategies how to improve your mental health during a crisis: