{"id":12189,"date":"2021-05-06T16:45:39","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T11:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/?p=12189"},"modified":"2023-04-12T10:38:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T05:08:24","slug":"mental-health-matters-mental-wellbeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triumphias.com\/blog\/mental-health-matters-mental-wellbeing\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health Matters: Mental Wellbeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mental Health Matters: Mental Wellbeing<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mental Health Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Addressing<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The outbreak of the new coronavirus has affected many areas of daily life, including mental health. With the sudden disruption of our routines and the new norm of\u00a0social distancing<\/strong>, life as we knew it has dramatically transformed in a matter of weeks. Suddenly, many of us are facing the stress of the news\u2014and its impact on our finances\u2014alone, putting us at risk for depression during the\u00a0coronavirus<\/strong>\u00a0outbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the perfect storm for depression and\u00a0anxiety,\u201d says Dr.\u00a0Robert Leahy, an attending psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian\/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the author of\u00a0The Worry Cure<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job<\/em>, and a national expert in cognitive therapy.<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With everything going on, people can find themselves ruminating, feeling hopeless and helpless, and, ultimately, depressed.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Institute for Mental Health<\/strong>\u00a0defines depression as a common but serious mood disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities such as\u00a0sleeping<\/strong>, eating, and working. Symptoms include a persistent sad, anxious or \u201cempty\u201d mood, irritability, and feelings of guilt and pessimism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are facing a national trauma, whether it\u2019s the fear of being infected or infecting someone else, or the economic downturn, and many people are isolated,\u201d Dr. Leahy says.<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Those who already struggle with depression and anxiety may find the situation exacerbates their feelings. Others who are used to keeping busy may suddenly find themselves alone with their thoughts more, and missing friends and family outside of their household.<\/p>\n

While the need to maintain social distance creates some obstacles, there are specific steps you can take to \u201cmake the best of the worst,\u201d according to Dr. Leahy. Here, he lays out ways to protect your mental health and prevent depression during the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n

Find the hope<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Finding<\/p>\n

This may sound impossible during a difficult time, but rather than think, \u201cThis is the rest of my life,\u201d take it day by day or week by week. Take a step back and see there is reason to be hopeful.<\/p>\n

For example, in Wuhan Province in China, where the outbreak began, the reported number of new cases has dropped significantly and on some days has been zero, thanks to quarantining measures. Stores and factories are beginning to reopen.<\/p>\n

By seeing solutions that worked for those communities and continuing to take serious precautions, we are increasing the chances that the future is not as hopeless or extreme as we fear.<\/p>\n