Minding your brain
Ways to cope with stress, anxiety while in quarantine
With an increase in number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases comes an increase in anxiety, according to Mental Health America.
MAH reported there was a 19% increase in screening or clinical anxiety in the first weeks of February and a 12% increase in the first two weeks in March.
MAH, the CDC and other health organizations and journals said it’s important for the public, health care employees, first responders and those with pre-existing mental health conditions to address mental health concerns.
In El Dorado, Regina Pierce, CEO and mental health professional at South Arkansas Regional Health Services said they are still accepting in-person appointments with regular hours — 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday.
Pierce said anyone can call in and self refer, or have a referral from a family member or doctor.
She said there have been no real changes in operations other than posting notices asking those not feeling well to reschedule and rearranging and disinfecting common areas, like the lobby, bathrooms and clinical offices.
Pierce said the clinic is also looking into telemedicine, but will continue to see people faceto-face until otherwise mandated. South Arkansas Regional Health Center can be contacted at 870862-7921.
Other mental health facilities, like Chenal Family Therapy, are also accepting patients. Chenal Family Therapy can be reached at 870-340-2636.
In addition to tips about staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC also offers information about stress and coping with the often overwhelming emotions and feelings that come
with a disease or outbreak.
According to the CDC, and echoed by MHA and other organizations and journals, everyone reacts to stressful situations differently, so there isn’t an end-all fix-all for stress, fear or anxiety.
The CDC recommends finding accurate information about the virus and sharing that with loved ones, relying on loved ones and discussing how they’re feeling — MHA recommends doing so by virtual hangout — and taking a break from watching, reading or listening to news stories, including on social media, for a little while.
For parents, the CDC recommends learning about the virus and to deal with the pandemic
calmly and confidently as it helps reassure children. It also recommends discussing the virus and answering questions children may have.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness also recently released a FAQ document that answers questions about COVID-19 and provides resources for those who may be experiencing anxiety due to the virus, quarantine, self-isolation, insurance and more.
MAH and the CDC recommend coming up with a self-care menu and a healthy routine to maintain during self-isolation and while school is out to give a sense of normalcy. This could include educational or learning activities,
relaxing activities or fun activities, like arts and crafts.
Some ideas for self-care and activities to do while in self-isolation include:
Virtual hangout with friends and/or family via Zoom, Facetime, Duo, Google Hangout, Skype or others
Read a new book — for those in El Dorado, Barton Public Library announced it will continue to stock the shelves in the free book exchanges telephone booths downtown. E-books are also available through the library system or online retailers.
Journal — put all feelings, ideas, prayers, thoughts or whatever is helpful on paper
Start Spring cleaning — even if you’ve already disinfected your house, there’s always going through all your old clothes.
Perfect, or create, a recipe
Learn something new — Whether it be a new language on DuoLingo or how to knit, there are countless books and articles that could lead you to a new passion
Exercise — No one said exercise happens exclusively at the gym. Go for a run outside, around the house or lunge your way from room to room (full workouts can be found on YouTube and Pinterest)