Log out, get help: Here are ways to take care of your mental health amid the pandemic

As we celebrate World Mental Health Day today, it’s important to bring to light the possible ways we can take care of ourselves amid the pandemic.

“It’s really hard with the pandemic,” Dr. Lovie Go-Chu, Makati Medical Center’s psychiatry section chief, told GMA News Online. “There’s really a lot of stressors.”

“It’s so uncertain. We don’t know when it’s gonna end, how much longer we’ll have to endure this community quarantine,” she added.

To help our minds stay healthy amid these trying times, here are a few tips Dr. Go-Chu suggested:

1. Put boundaries.

“You have to have work-life balance,” Dr. Go-Chu shared.

“You have to try to maintain your schedule prior to the pandemic,” she added. “Kung 8 to 5 work mo, you have to maintain, respect those boundaries ... Just because hindi ka na nagco-commute, 7 to 10 na work mo.”

Aside from keeping your weekend free to give you time to recharge, Dr. Go-Chu also shared it’s best to also have helpful space boundaries.

If you’re working from home, it’s ideal to have a workspace where you can remove yourself once work is over.

“Hindi pwede kama, doon ka na natutulog, nagtratrabaho, kumakain. Hindi pwedeng ganun,” she said.

2. Learn to step away.

“If you’re feeling tired then ... step away for a bit,” Dr. Go-Chu said.

She suggested to practice deep breathing, play games on your phone, stretch, or even just get some fresh air for a bit to relieve yourself.

Once you feel relieved, you can go back and proceed where you left off, she said.

“You have to give yourself a break,” she added. “You cannot be 100% productive all the time. If you’re not having a good day, tomorrow will be better, an opportunity to make it better.”

It’s also important, Dr. Go-Chu, said to remember why you’re doing the things you’re doing.

3. Get professional help when it calls for it.

According to the doctor, the pandemic can really trigger a lot of anxiety and stress especially with the uncertainty of our future and limitations in seeing our loved ones.

However, she emphasized that it’s normal to feel sad and miss our loved ones and going out again. What is alarming, she shared, was if our emotions affected our capacity to function.

“Hindi ka na nakaka-focus sa sobrang nerbyoso ng energy to do work,” she said.

It is also alarming if it’s affecting not only our work, but also our relationships.

If that is the case, then it could be time to reach out for professional help.

4. Take care of other aspects of health as well.

Aside from taking care of our mental health, it's also best for us to take care of other aspects of our health, such as our physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Dr. Go-Chu suggested to get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and eat healthy food.

To maintain our health spiritually, the doctor suggested to pray together with our family or friends, or to simply practice yoga and mindfulness, and enjoy nature.

5. Accept the pandemic is here to stay, reach out for support.

It’s also best, said the doctor, to accept that the pandemic is here to stay.

“Things will really change after the pandemic,” Dr. Go-Chu said.

However, she said that we shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to give support and receive support.

The best way to avoid mental exhaustion is still prevention, she said.

She added, “You don’t want to get to the point na you’re so exhausted ... Best way to deal with it is to prevent it from happening.” – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News