How to handle stress in corona situations?

Everyone is suffering from anxiety about corona infection. That is normal. This anxiety creates additional stress on the mind. Symptoms of panic, unreasonable anger or depression may also occur. But in dealing with any danger, I need patience, responsible behaviour and courage. How should you react at this time, how will you rely on your family and relatives, along with your responsibilities to society?

Seek advice from trusted people: Only seek the advice of trusted persons during this time of panic. They will help you stay mentally strong in a variety of ways. Spend quality time with family without listening to rumours, follow hygiene rules: Over-propaganda, propaganda and various rumours are now flying through various channels. Don’t listen to rumours. Spend enough time with family. Live an orderly life, do not stop doing routine things like sleeping, eating at the right time, light exercise at home etc. Eat a balanced and safe diet. Drink enough water. Get to bed on time, do light exercise and follow the prescribed hygiene rules. Avoid smoking, drinking or intoxication.

Keep track of everyone, even if physically isolated: In an almost closed city it may seem helpless to isolate. So keep in touch with friends and relatives through email, telephone or social media. Keep looking for each other. If you need help with corona, make a plan in advance of how and from whom you will receive help for physical and mental problems.

Rely on reliable information: Rely on accurate information from reliable sources only. Find out for yourself and family members the necessary health information to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Rely only on reliable scientific sources for information, such as the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University or the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) website, the Ministry of Health in Bangladesh, the Department of Health, or the government.

Don’t carry the Coronavirus all the time: In order not to increase anxiety and instability, you or your family members in the media / Don’t watch information, news and videos about Corona infection and its consequences through social media. This will create mental stress on yourself. In addition to knowing the correct information about Corona, enjoy other events.

Have confidence in yourself: Have confidence in yourself. Use your skills and experience to deal with various adverse situations in the past. Be confident; This will greatly reduce your stress.

Prepare children, make them experience, give accurate information: Children, like adults, can suffer from stress due to the issue of coronavirus infection. At this time they want to hold their parents a little more, get anxious, curl up, get restless, get angry and suddenly start urinating in bed. If such symptoms of stress appear, listen to their words with your mind, give a little more time. Let the child play home games on his own. Keep the child with his parents and family at all stages of coronavirus infection and avoid isolating them. If you have to be hospitalized, quarantined or separated for any reason, keep in touch by telephone or other means and give regular protection to the children. Give the child real-world information about what’s going on around him or her and explain how he or she can keep himself or herself safe. Teach your child the rules of hygiene to stay away from infection. If the child or any of his family members feel sick, discuss the need for hospitalization with the child, and tell them that there is nothing to be afraid of, the doctor will take the necessary measures for the health and safety of everyone.

Collect from: Associate Professor, Department of Child Adolescent and Family Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health