Since the outbreak of Covid-19, news reports surface daily about the extremity of the situation
LAHORE: Since the outbreak of Covid-19, news reports surface daily about the extremity of the situation. Most of the time this is the only thing that we are reading and listening to on the media, be it television or Facebook. The constant bombardment of the news has become a burden of its own. While initially it was important to be informed of the constant developments, in order to understand the symptoms and the necessary precautions to protect us and our loved ones, now it has become a source of anxiety for many.
Amidst the chaos there is not much talk about the effect that this situation has had on the mental health of individuals. Many of us suffer from mental health issues and the stress of this outbreak may only worsen this.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stress can impact the following people more drastically: elderly people, children, teenagers, health staff and first responders. While so much news is going around, I believe it is important to circulate more news regarding mental health impacts. This may include changes in eating and sleeping patterns, difficult in concentrating, increased use of tobacco and paranoia regarding the health of you and your loved ones. Some coping mechanisms to this kind of stress are by taking a break when all this news is overwhelming you. This situation has strengthened us as a community so speaking to others can also help a lot. While we are observing some positives such as helping each other out during this time, it is also a good idea to share these ways to cope because someone around you must be going through it and you may not know.
Amaan Qureshi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2020.
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