A recent health survey showed that 45% of adults have considered getting mental health treatment as a result of COVID, and 88% have experienced at least one symptom such as depression, anxiety, loss of sleep, or a lack of feeling pleasure out of normally pleasurable activities. Now, these statistics really concerned me when I read them.
If you are somewhere here in this spectrum or know of somebody who is, I wanted to offer a few strategies that are more of an at-home remedy. Please note, I am not a mental health professional. If you or somebody you know are experiencing severe mental health challenges, please reach out to a mental health professional.
If you are still employed you can reach out to your HR department, because it is a high possibility that your insurance does offer some support in this area. If not, since we’ve gone virtual I have seen even more mental health professionals offer their services in a virtual capacity. If you’re not quite to that end and you’re thinking, “You know what? I could use just a couple of tips to do at home,” I want to offer those to you.
First of all, are you moving?
Getting up and moving – it can be in many different ways. First, it could be full-blown exercise; something to really kick in the endorphins, something that’s going to make you just sweat it all out: the anxiety, the frustration, anything that you’re feeling, and get those endorphins going to boost a more positive mood. It also can mean just simply moving.
Getting up; not going from the chair you sit in all day, working, over to your couch to relax.
Get up and take some laps around your home, walk up and down a couple of stairs. Go outside, take a few laps around your neighborhood. Getting your body moving, and doing it in silence to allow the stress of your day to start to melt away so you can start thinking about positive things moving forward, can absolutely help. So number one, get out there and move.
The second thing is, do you have a personal contact, a friend, a family member, a co-worker that you could reach out to who’s a really good listener? Somebody who’s not necessarily there to offer you advice, but just to listen.
Think back to the times when you have just let it all out, and how going through that kind of self-healing of telling your story, of sharing your frustrations, how just even being able to unload it to somebody who’s listening, how much better you feel afterward. That would be my second offering for you, is do you have somebody close that could be a good listener?
Again, I will reiterate, if you are experiencing any severe mental health challenges, or you’re getting close to it or you know somebody else who is, please reach out to your HR department today, or you can seek out a mental health professional. I will post in the comments below a couple of resources for you, but again, make sure you do your due diligence and take care of yourself.
Your mental health is connected to so much, and we want to be here for the long run. You can do this!