Managing mental health when working or learning from home

WORKING and learning from home has created new mental health challenges for many families. According to the Health Ministry, mental health support needs in the first four months of this year had eclipsed those required for the whole of last year.

In another MOH report, the statistics for distress calls received by government agencies from March 25 last year to May 20 this year revealed that 85.5 per cent of the calls were related to mental health issues that required emotional support and counselling.

Despite the grim news, it is possible to overcome mental health challenges with the right approach. No matter how difficult it is, we must train our mind to remain optimistic that this will all pass eventually.

Yes, there’s no clear solution in the short-term, but by dwelling in the negative zone we’d just end up amplifying the problem.

Find someone to share your concerns and anxiety with. Sometimes it’s possible to release some of the pressure just by talking about it.

FrOm POsitive tO negative

Stay away from negative news, messages and people. Whatever we need to know about the pandemic, we already know it. If you must check social media, please wear your mental “personal protective equipment (PPE)”.

This is highly necessary as our positive emotions can quickly dive from unexpected negative or toxic comments. People are easily triggered these days. An innocent post or joke can be over-analysed by someone resulting in undesirable consequences.

Be extra careful with what we say or share. It’s good to recognise that people are experiencing different degrees of hardship. Many are at their wits’ end trying to make ends meet.

Avoid provocative or sensational posts. You never know how it’d affect others. Quickly apologise if you’ve overlooked sensitivity or authenticity. It’s a noble act to bring peace and harmony to everyone.

CHiLDren’s WeLLBeing

Mental health challenges can affect children too. Hence, it’s always good to look out for signs of mental stress among our children.

According to a research by the United States National Library of Medicine, based on questionnaires completed by parents, children have been feeling uncertain, fearful and isolated during these challenging times. They are also experiencing disturbed sleep, nightmares, poor appetite, agitation, inattention and separation-related anxiety.

Children’s emotional wellbeing is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them, so that they can grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.

At the end of the day, we must face these challenges together. This is a critical time for our family to be united. We must make our spouses and children our best friends, not enemies.

Do your best to create a positive and harmonious home environment. We have a bigger challenge ahead — we’ll be stronger if we stay together.