Mental Health, COVID-19 and Diabetes
It is not an unusual fact anymore that mental health has a connection to diabetes. It can spoil your mood and make you distressed about the condition. Considerable research suggests that mental stability and diabetes share a relationship with a sense of stress on the individual dealing with diabetes for an extended period. This fact comes out with a more substantial claim as we are witnessing a pandemic of a spread that we did not expect in real life. With the eruption of COVID-19 disease caused by a coronavirus a few months ago, most of us would not deny being a place of stress or emotional turmoil during this period. But we all were here at one point during previous months.
Those living with diabetes were not less distressed while fighting their condition, monitoring sugar levels, taking medications correctly, worrying about the possible complications, following a disciplined diet, exercising when this dreadful pandemic arrived at the shores. The nation was already tackling a mental health crisis with related addiction to drugs, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), and suicide when we suddenly encountered another new trouble coming our way.
People are left jobless; they do not have funds to pay their bills, racial tensions are at an all-time high level; law enforcement is another concern we have to keep in mind. People who have diabetes would not have expected a worse mental trauma than this, as they are even more prone to this deadly virus. It’s not that people are not ready to take on life problems, they were, but none of us were expecting so much distress at the same time. This global problem of COVID-19 has come along with a storm of anxiety and depression inducers that can negatively affect the respiration of diabetes patients. The condition of diabetic patients could worsen because of the havoc created by this unwanted guest known as coronavirus.
What is Crisis Fatigue?
Crisis fatigue is a term that popped up the surface within a few months of fighting with the global pandemic of the COVID-19 disease. It is undoubtedly not termed as a real phenomenon, but it has some fundamental effects. Crisis fatigue is when people are so overwhelmed by a specific situation that they are clueless about moving forward. Pandemic is one such instance where people are confused and unsure how to digest the fact that the world is under house arrest and a virus has tarnished world economies. There are a few symptoms of crisis fatigue, which can depict the situation very well. These are:
- Isolation and Loneliness
- Helplessness and Hopelessness
- Disappointment
- Exhaustion and overwhelmed
- Burn out or Lack of emotion
- Unpredictability or Fear of the unknown
- Anger,rage,annoyance,disgust.
- Worry,despair,fright
The primary reason behind this type of fatigue during this time is that our lives were churning out in a specific manner earlier. The reason behind it is that we were comfortable and knew about it because it was repetitive, but as soon we were struck by this pandemic, our lives experienced a sudden break. We were supposed to work from home, adopt a new lifestyle, and restructure our routine right from the beginning. This whole trauma adds to the worry for children, grandparents, and family members after witnessing how contagious this virus can be.
Does Know The Threat Matter When Dealing With It?
Yes, you cannot argue in this context. Naturally, when we have to tackle a problem, let’s say a natural disaster or calamity. We get super anxious or distressed only when there are reports of mass destruction or massive life loss. And as soon the problem sorts out, we are back to the everyday regime. But this time, it is different because the stretch of the problem we are facing is too long. The first reported case of the disease was in January 2020 in the United States. And now it’s November 2020, and hospitals still have plenty of patients to take care of and make them recover.
Quarantine Exhaustion: Quarantine 15
Besides ‘Work From Home,’ there are many other phrases or words that have become a demanding word nowadays. One of them is ‘Quarantine Exhaustion, which essentially means getting exhausted by being at a place for too long. At the peak stage of this pandemic, we were all at our home, sometimes working and most of the time idly sitting at a place. But after a while, we started getting exhausted by the area. This phenomenon is what motivated us to popularise the word ‘Quarantine Exhaustion.’
Another such word in winds nowadays is ‘Quarantine 15.’This word is quite similar to ‘Freshman 15’, which meant gaining weight unexpectedly.; ‘Quarantine 15.’ means gaining weight because of being at home all the time. We all had unlimited access to the refrigerator, snacks, drinks, so many of us ate and drank all the time to avoid boredom and anxiety. It turned into a real problem for those with diabetes because eating unhealthy food and gaining weight came at their door with health complications and anxiety issues. And diabetic patients cannot risk to mental health in COVID-19 pandemic to restrict any further de-escalation.
Is It Possible to Change Your Mental Health Outlook During This Time?
Yes, you need to maintain a positive outlook on life. All this disruption will come to a halt someday. You should not make this pandemic an excuse for not doing things you are supposed to at this point. You must make sure you get out of this becoming a better person and a better performer. After all, you have all the time now that you did not have before this pandemic shook us. Not restricting your plans on paper and making it possible in practical life should be on your priority list.
20 Tips For Coping With Mental Health
1) Adopt an Animal
Who doesn’t loves animal? Yes, they are to be taken care of, but that is not much problem if you have a soft corner for them. Many animal shelters have shut down during the ongoing pandemic because they did not have funds to keep it going. It blossoms out as an adequate opportunity to adopt an animal. They will not only take most of your stress but will also spread positivity in your surroundings.
2) Find Joy in Little Things
It has never been mandatory to look for happiness and joy only in costly things and things that require a lot of effort to perceive. You can always go for small moments that provide you with joy and pleasure. Getting outside in the arms of nature and observing things that it brought with itself can sometimes take you to a different zone altogether.
3) Looking for Distractions
In such challenging times, you need to take breaks from work and indulge in some off-beat activities to refrain from burnout. No, we do not suggest taking a full day off, but a small break to do some fun activity is always a fair idea. Playing video games or going for a field game, or going fishing are some examples that will unexpectedly help you during this ‘Work From Home’ period.
4) Don’t Choose to Battle Everything
As we all own nothing but the extra time during this health crisis, we have the option to decide whether to invest our time in something productive and fun or to fight the ideology or opinions of someone who is not your family. The heated debates going on the origin of the virus or it is a human-made virus, has china made this virus in a lab, or who’s fault this is are indeed interesting to watch. Still, if you plan to have peaceful holidays, you must refrain from getting into those. There is ultimately no point in investing time in these activities until there are facts available as they can become stressful sometimes.
5) Limit Unnecessary News and Social Media
If you plan to give your mental health a gift, avoid watching too much news during this period. Everybody is now aware of how deadly this virus and that it has spread all over the nation; you need not watch all those headlines and unfactual stories that are not very positive. You must try to make a positive sphere around yourself to make the most out of quarantine.
6) Avoid Self-Isolation
Remaining in quarantine does not mean that you have to isolate yourself unless the pandemic disease infects you ultimately. Avoid being in your head and talk to someone who understands you and care for you. Connect at least 15 times a day to escape that zone of loneliness, which worsens your mental health. If you are having trouble tackling anything, share your problem with someone reliable.
7) Eat Healthily
Eating healthy should be your motto for life except on special occasions, but if you have diabetes already, this period cannot get more challenging for you. You need to regulate your eating habits and stick to a balanced diet to be more active and healthy physically and mentally.
8) Opt for Mental Health Support
It’s completely okay if you are finding it challenging to handle the situation yourself. There are mental health professionals that are ready to help you walk through the problem. You can connect with them via telehealth, which provides the needy with talk therapy.
9) Practice gratitude
Being in the space of appreciation is always a wise place to be in, especially when things are not so well and fine. Refraining from thinking about whatever bad has happened to you all the time and thanking the almighty for whatever good has happened to you is the way to go through this quarantine. Using Apps like Calm and Headspace can work wonders for you in stressful circumstances.
10) Avoid doing Unhealthy Activities
It is easy to get trapped in harmful activities like excessive alcoholism, chainsmoking, and consuming drugs during this period, as you are bored with your daily routine. But keep in mind that indulging in these will make your mental health more disrupted. Instead, do yoga and practice meditation to get out of related addictions. If it’s too harsh on you, try limiting the use of such substance for some time and ultimately quit it.