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Faced with the loss of livelihood and loved ones, Filipinos deep into the second year of COVID-19 quarantine feeling anxious and depression, the Department of Health said Tuesday, citing results of its online survey.
About 25% of respondents in the 2020 poll said they were feeling moderate to severe anxiety, while about 17% reported feeling moderate to severe depression and other psychological conditions due to the pandemic, said Dr. Agnes Joy Casiño, psychiatrist at the DOH's Mental Health Division.
"All of us are grieving, not just for the loss of life or a loved one or a friend, but grieving because we lost something. We lost our dreams, we lost our ambitions, we lost our supposedly promotion, we lost money. So we kinda have that feeling of grieving the previous life that we led. This is a universal grieving that we have on a large scale," she told reporters in a online briefing.
According to Casiño, those who are most affected by the pandemic are:
- Health workers
- People with health issues
- People affected by unemployment, reduced household income, and other economic reasons
- Those socially isolated like persons with disabilities, with mental health conditions, and members of the LGBT community
- Those facing stigma or discrimination associated with the virus and other social and cultural reasons
Those who are also working from home could have a hard time "wearing different hats", blurring the lines between work and home which can disturb a healthy work-life balance.
While COVID-19 has been devastating, it also opened doors for the public to proactively address mental health and well-being, Casiño said.
How to cope if you work from home
Feeling anxious does not indicate you are inept at dealing with work, school, or even household chores. Managing your mental health is equally important as being physically healthy, Casiño said.
"It's okay na paminsan-minsan ganun ang pakiramdam natin, that we are stressed out. It's okay also to tell people na 'wait lang po', or to tell our bosses na 'wait lang po, nase-stress na ako.'"
Talking to your support system can also help.
"Sometimes, 'pag nao-overwhelm tayo with emotions, uncertainties, sometimes clouded ang problem-solving capacity natin," she said.
How to help the elderly fight cabin fever
Be extra patient when it comes to the seniors, who are cooped up at home longer than working adults. Under strict lockdowns, they are not allowed to go out to keep themselves safe from the coronavirus.
"If, for example, nababagot na 'yung elderlies, going out of their houses, tumatambay sila sa streets, we talk to them na it's not safe to leave their houses and we talk to them about the minimum health standards but in a way that they understand, in a way that we are still respectful sa kanila," she said.
Care providers should help seniors learn simple physical exercises at home or in quarantine to reduce boredom. Casiño also suggested bringing plants to the elderly which they can take care of during quarantine.
"When we do physical activities, it will increase the happy hormones in our brains. So 'pag tumaas 'yun, we'll feel better," she said.
Give kids space for tantrums
Casiño said children should be allowed to throw tantrums. Most of the time, it's because they cannot process their emotions well or cannot understand what is happening during the pandemic.
"It's okay that sometimes they throw tantrums, 'yun pala kasi takot sila, or nalulungkot sila for staying at home for too long... We talk to them, and we let them speak out kung ano 'yung nararamdaman nila. It's not right to tell the child to stop crying," she said.
"Let the child explain, na puwede kasing 'di kita maiintindihan if you're crying."
Children need routines during uncertain times, she said, "at least the child will have something that is structured."
Casiño said knowing how to reach out properly and validating the feelings of others can help save lives.
"We have to remember to be kind, to be kind to ourselves and to be kind to others," Casiño said.
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