• For your peace of mind, ensure that you do not consume everything that you see on social media.
• Your positive mood will help to protect your immune system.
Image: MERCY MUMO
With 50 cases of coronavirus cases already confirmed in Kenya and over 37,000 deaths globally from the pandemic, mental health has become a cause for concern.
Currently, Kenya has one fatality and one recovery reported with over 1,400 contact tracing of people who got into contact with the positive cases.
This has made the Ministry of Health identify five hotspot counties in the country namely Nairobi, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale and Kajiado.
The government has also released a map of subcounties within Nairobi that are likely to be hotspots.
But with the information overload and the era of fake news, mental health is key in our society.
Here are some of the tips for making it through these hard times;
Make yourself busy.
Call people that you love and reconnect with them wherever they are. You can schedule these calls to even one hour apart.
This can also be done through video calls and Skype no matter the distance.
Do exercise frequently.
Here, you are expected to exercise in the house for those who are in self-quarantine and lockdowns. You can do aerobics and even take a rope and skip in the house.
You can do this with your partner or children depending on how you want it to be.
Celebrate yourself when you have done a milestone
When you achieve a milestone, you need to celebrate yourself.
Take champagne and congratulate yourself. If it is work-related, tell your spouse or somebody about it and laugh about it.
Self-regulate when it comes to news
For your peace of mind, ensure that you do not consume everything that you see on social media.
If possible, look at the news in the morning and in the evening.
Rest and sleep
Do not oversleep. When you know that your time for bed is nearing, prepare to retire to bed.
Psychologist Ahmed Riziki notes that this will allow your body to rest and relax.
Positive mood
Your positive mood will help to protect your immune system.
Negative thoughts have been shown to depress your immune system and make it weak against viruses.
“Reach out to friends or somebody you can laugh with to wash away all the negativities that you might have,” Ahmed notes.
Believe
Most importantly, firmly believe that this shall also pass and we will be safe.
Facts only
Don't look for additional information on the Internet, it would weaken your mental state.