Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization agree that the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, commonly known as COVID-19, may be stressful for people.
Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. We all have been coached to use social distancing, which is a physical prevention measure to keep people from interacting too closely or frequently to spread the virus.
The Suicide Prevention Program, part of the Fort Knox Army Substance Abuse Program, provides some mental health considerations given by the CDC and WHO that could ease our anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. They are:
1. Avoid watching, reading or listening to news that causes you to feel anxious or distressed; seek information mainly to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and loved ones. Seek information updates once or twice a day at specific times. The sudden and near-constant stream of news or social media reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried. Get the facts. Gather information at regular intervals from the WHO and CDC websites, as well as the Fort Knox information page, in order to help you distinguish facts from rumors
2. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs. Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
3. Stay connected; even during our time of limited physical social contact, we can stay connected via text, email, social media, personal video conference apps and telephone.
If you or your loved ones experience symptoms of extreme stress, such as trouble sleeping, problems with eating too much or too little, inability to carry out routine daily activities, or using drugs or alcohol to cope, speak to a health care provider or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline https://www.sprc.org/ toll free (in English): 800-273-TALK (8255) or (in Española): 888-628-9454.
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