Pandemic does not mean that we have to choose between physical and mental health

If you think of the COVID pandemic as an attack only on physical health, that’s all wrong. The statistics on illness and death are staggering, but we are suffering astonishing victims as well. mental health. Almost One-third of Americans Experienced with symptoms of clinical depression or anxiety, Well Being Trust estimates that we suffer the most 150,000 additional deaths It is linked to the social isolation and economic stressors associated with COVID-19.

In the non-pandemic era, it was relatively easy to make choices that would benefit both physical and mental health. Because these choices were often the same. Doing good things for your body brings tangible benefits to your mood and psychological well-being. For example Exercise significantly reduces anxiety and depression— At a rate comparable to drug therapy. Similarly, healthy sleep habits that promote body homeostasis and more efficient immune system function significantly reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Still, the pandemic has uprooted our usual guidepost for navigating our health decisions. Today, choosing to make healthy choices to minimize the risk of viral infection comes at the expense of our mental health, both short-term and long-term.

For example, when we self-quarantine, we protect physical health, but to an important social support system that increases our loneliness, promotes negative emotions, and alleviates depression. It also increases social isolation that restricts access to. Parents who protect their children from being infected or infected with COVID-19 by limiting playdates or homeschooling are naturally worried about the unknown victims of their children. Socio-emotional development Of such a lack of social interaction with peers. Young adults missed monumental milestones, including high school and college graduations. This is an opportunity for collective processing and meaning that has positive psychological and physical health benefits. Today, these experiences represent costly trade-offs and we are wondering which side of our health we choose to protect.

This ever-present balancing act makes us feel that our physical and mental health is at odds with each other in the battle for attention. Should you prioritize the physical health of you and your family, or your weakening mental health during this stressful and uncertain time? But this calculus is even more complicated. Of course, we are interested not only in our own physical and mental health, but also in the well-being of the global human world, balancing the needs of individuals and the needs of collective communities.

Ultimately, this pandemic continues in the long run, even with the use of three vaccines approved for emergency use. Ignoring mental health needs can exacerbate the problem and make it difficult to recover when it ultimately tries to deal with it or when a pandemic is imprinted in history. We provide some evidence-based suggestions on how to approach this duality of mental and physical decisions.

• We have to hire A community-centric solution to this problem, It recognizes and accepts that your approach to defining cost-benefit ratios may differ from that of your neighbors or others with different personalities or developmentally relevant needs. For example, teens and young adults may need to increase contact with non-family members to maintain mental health. Since this is developmentally relevant, it should be considered to develop guidelines on what a healthy social distance looks like over different developmental periods, rather than criticizing their behavior. Having one or two friends with whom teens can consistently interact directly may be a wise approach to balancing physical and mental health concerns and preventing dangerous social behavior. not.
• It’s important Balance current and future needs. Consider choices that not only support you in the present moment, but also benefit your future self after the pandemic is over. It’s really thrilling to leave home 19 times during COVID, meet friends in the park, shop online, get trapped all day and then buy a flashy new iPhone, Doing so can result in the loss of a wider field of view. How it affects your future self. Similarly, it is natural for us to avoid upset emotions, but if we do it often, excessively, or in a way that prevents us from achieving our daily goals, it is behavioral avoidance and Is called. Behaviors such as staying away from friends when depressed come at the expense of long-term quality of life. Saturated by the horrors of the moment and repetitive melancholy, you can avoid the medical care you need, stay in touch with someone over the phone, or go to a grocery store to get the groceries you need online. There is likely to be. Instacart delivery is not an option.
• Remember it Protecting your physical health does not have to sacrifice mental health: There are many ways to support your emotional needs while supporting your physical immunity and avoiding the risk of COVID-19. For example, a remote-based “exchange meeting” with old friends online, writing a thank-you diary, sending notes to people who are far away, small actions, etc. You can maintain a social connection with other people. Kindness to loved ones and strangers. All of these have been shown to not only help maintain connectivity, but also alleviate potentially negative mental health consequences and boost physical immunity to stressors.

During this pandemic, we must accept both the mind and body as a central aspect of human health and survival. To survive a future pandemic, mental and physical health must be recognized as a mutually influential part of human health that works best when working together.