Keeping well with the coronavirus

In difficult times, focusing on the things we can control helps us cope with the things we can’t.

Very many of us have fears right now. Being alone in those worries should not be one of them.
“In any crisis, it is commonplace for individuals to feel a level of stress and concern,” says Kara McGann, head of social policy at Ibec, the group that represents Irish business.

With coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, concerns include the fear that you or someone you love could become ill, as well as a fear of separation due to quarantine or social distancing. People may also be worried about losing employment and the financial implications of that.

There are inchoate feelings of powerlessness, given the rapidity at which the pandemic situation is evolving. Anxiety, boredom or loneliness can result from extended periods of isolation and, in the absence of certainty, the mind can get caught in an endless loop of ‘what ifs’.

Frontline workers in healthcare, food retail, manufacturing and transport carry additional concerns, including fears about their own safety and worries about passing the virus to their loved ones.

Such workers may also be struggling with increased demands at work, including longer hours, increased patient numbers or a lack of resources adequate to deal with changing circumstances. A lack of time for their own self care and social support takes a toll too.

On top of all these stresses is the almost constant diet of news about the pandemic, not all of which is reliable.

“Many of the fears and concerns people are experiencing have emerged from real dangers and challenges due to the pandemic. However, such concerns are not helped by the level of ‘fake news’ being circulated in WhatsApp groups and on social media,” says McGann.

These can fuel “extreme reactions, lead to feelings of helplessness and despair, and result in possible mistrust of information being provided, and anger at being ‘kept in the dark’,” she says.

Protecting personal wellbeing
There are a number of positive steps you can take to help. First, “acknowledge that it is normal to feel distressed, worried, anxious or angry during this crisis. This is your way of trying to make sense of the reality of the pandemic situation,” says McGann. Kara McGann, head of social policy at Ibec

Keep up your social networks, through email, phone calls or social media. “While not as supportive as face to face contact it is essential for connectedness and reducing feelings of loneliness,” she says.
Next, ensure you check trusted sources of information to get the facts about your risk and the precautions you need to be taking. The HSE website, WHO website and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre are all useful locations for information.

“Remember there will always be ‘click-bait’ and untrustworthy sources of news circulating so it is important to maintain a healthy scepticism in this regard,” McGann says. If you are unsure of something, check the coronavirus mythbuster section of the WHO’s website.

By this stage we will all be familiar with cough etiquette and hygiene requirements, but be conscious of your media hygiene too.

Reducing the amount of time spent watching or listening to distressing coverage of events will help. Turn off automatic notifications and limit yourself to one source, or perhaps one specified programme, to keep up to date “without adding to the mental strain,” she advises.

“Maintain familiar routines in as much as possible with time for healthy activities, exercise, rest and connection which are important to maintaining wellbeing,” McGann adds. “Given there is so much of our normal routine that has been disrupted, restoring certainty and predictability where we can helps reduce the psychological impact of this situation.”

To read the rest of the article – please click here https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/ibec/keeping-well-in-the-coronavirus-crisis-1.4224998.