Tips to boost mental health,
We’re collectively going through something we’ve never been through before, and maintaining good mental health is important as we weather this pandemic.
With layoffs, schools closed, isolating, physical distancing and formerly simple outings such as grocery shopping or going for a walk now considered risky, people’s anxiety levels have risen.
The Calgary Counselling Centre, a charitable organization that operates on a sliding fee scale, typically sees the most requests for service from people dealing with depression, anxiety and relationship issues, and that has remained steady. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre has seen an influx of people anxious about finances and trying to get basic needs met.
The centre’s office is closed, but it continues to offer services remotely, including individual, couples and family counselling sessions on phone or online using Microsoft Teams.
“We’ve done about 3,000 counselling sessions since the emergency order went into place. We’ve had a phenomenal effort through all our teams to meet the same standards of meeting people where they’re at,” says Cathy Keough, director of counselling initiatives.
Alberta Health Services is also seeing more people with acute stress searching for help for themselves and loved ones.
Across the province, AHS runs mental health services in 130 communities, offering mental health and addictions support. It is also using phone- or tech-based methods wherever possible to provide help.
Dr. Nick Mitchell, AHS provincial medical director of addiction and mental health, says the pandemic has also been hard on people struggling with addiction.
“We have seen increased alcohol sales across the province. People might be increasing alcohol intake, and people that struggle don’t have access to their usual support networks.”
Mitchell encourages anyone struggling to call the AHS Addiction Helpine at 1-866-332-2322.
The pandemic has spurred a lot of anxiety and fear, especially because of the unknown, Keough says.
“We have a communal experience of uncertainty and ambiguity, and we are adapting as we go along. There isn’t a real playbook for this. People’s routines and sense of normalcy is disrupted. There is a prolonged state of stress and no sense of what is coming next,” she says.
So what can we as individuals and communities do? Keough and Mitchell share a number of recommendations.
Try to approach everyone with kindness and patience;
Limit your social media and news media consumption;
Limit your focus on Covid-19-related news, and seek facts about the virus from reliable sources such as AHS or Health Canada;
If you are lonely, connect with friends and family through regular phone calls, online or even by writing letters;
Get adequate rest. Lack of sleep can only exacerbate mental health challenges;
Reach out for professional help if you are having trouble managing your mental health;
Find safe ways to support and contribute to your community, such as volunteering to pick up groceries for those isolating or at risk, or placing positive messages in windows or public places;
Be kind and respectful to front-line and essential workers, and if you know someone who is struggling, open a dialogue and suggest where they might find help;
Create a daily schedule to keep structure and have a sense of purpose. Eat meals together at the same time each day, make time for artistic endeavours, get outside. Try cooking or baking together. Have weekly virtual dance parties with friends and family;
And be open with kids about the pandemic, but reassure them that this is all temporary.
AHS also has a free text-based service rooted in cognitive behavioural therapy called Text4hope, which was developed by a University of Alberta Hospital psychiatrist. Subscribers receive messages to help them deal with stress, anxiety and negative thought patterns. Text COVID19HOPE to subscribe.