Coping with depression due to Coronavirus

depression due to coronavirus
Image Credit: Sasha Freemind/ Unsplash

Corona doesn’t bring a threat to life alone. As the year progresses, many people lose hope and livelihood too

The year 2020 hasn’t been very kind. So far, the Corona pandemic has claimed almost a million lives globally. More than a hundred thousand people have succumbed to the virus in India alone. But, life is not the only thing this pandemic has affected adversely.
Several businesses have closed down. People are facing pay cuts, and many have lost their jobs.
Amid all this anxiety and the fear of loss, we live in an isolated environment with limited to no interaction with our usual social circles.

Today, many of us face the threat of falling into some form of depression due to Coronavirus.
Depression has always been an existential phenomenon. But, we are much more prone to falling into it now than we were ever before. Clinically speaking, depression is just a mental health issue.
But, what is concerning is that there is an acute negative connotation attached to the term. And, it hinders our acceptance of even a remote possibility of us being affected by it.
Depression is often ignored while it engulfs us silently and in a slow progression. And, its symptoms gradually become a part of our usual behavioral patterns.
In essence, there are three primary underlying factors, which lead to depression; psychological, biological, and social.

So, how do we cope with depression during the lockdown caused by this pandemic?
Acute cases of depression often require professional help. It is advisable to consult a medical practitioner who is trained to handle such cases. But, it is quite possible to snap out of normal and mild depression individually through mental health awareness, if addressed aptly.

Here are five simple yet very effective steps that might help you avoid falling into depression, and also get out of it.

Ways to cope with depression during the pandemic

Talk to someone

Call up a friend who you can trust. Confide in him and share your problems with him or her. By sharing your problems, you also share the burden and lighten the load.

Break the pattern

You can try and change the way you do things. It is often the monotony of our patterned life that adds up to our miseries. If you commute by your car, drop it for a week and take a Metro or ride a bike instead. Breaking your pattern can aid immensely in getting you out of monotony as well as depression.

Indulge in creative activity

When was the last time you tried sketching? Get a “Sketch Book”. It is not very difficult to learn. You can also try cooking if you are not very comfortable around the kitchen. You can learn dancing, yoga, a music instrument, the list is endless.

Practice meditation

The healing effects of meditation are not new to us. But, not many of us practice it. The best thing about meditation is the ease of doing it. You can practice meditation in your room, balcony, or even the roof. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and take deep breaths for five minutes.

Practice Yoga

yoga cure thyroid imbalances
Image Credit: Prasanth Inturi/ Pexels

There are many other challenges that we are facing due to our new reality. We must deal with these challenges in any way we can. Fortunately, certain yoga practices that have been with us since ancient times can help in that regard. Yoga is a highly effective method of tackling the stress and anxiety that people are experiencing today. “Dhanurasana” or the Bow Pose is one such asana that reduces symptoms of depression and is extremely beneficial in relieving stress.

Takeaways

These are some simple ways to cope with depression. Solutions to complex problems are often simple. It is we who believe otherwise.
We often tend to isolate ourselves when we feel hassled by an issue. Why do we do it is debatable. But, some people are not comfortable exposing their vulnerabilities to others. I believe it is OK to feel insecure, and, It is very human to falter and fail.
Humans are social animals. By isolating ourselves from the very society that we belong to, we are not doing anyone a favor, definitely not to us.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_health_during_the_COVID-19_pandemic

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