How to beat stress during the global health crisis

Life has changed for everyone globally, and the stress of trying to adapt has caused a lot of anxiety for many people.

In this article, we look at how to cope with emotional stress during a global pandemic.

Overcoming the emotional strain and stress of the pandemic

Many people are struggling to make sense of the circumstances that we find ourselves in during these unprecedented times.

It’s common, at a time like this, to experience feelings associated with stress. These emotions can range from confusion to sadness, fear and anger. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommendations to deal effectively with stress and, in our latest Trend report, we share them with you.

WHO recommendations on how to deal with stress during the pandemic:

• Communicate with people you trust, including your friends and family.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle with enough diet, sleep, exercise and social contact.
• Avoid using smoking, alcohol or other drugs as an outlet and talk to a health worker or counsellor instead.
• Gather information from a credible source such as the WHO website or the official government portal on the Coronavirus.
• Limit exposure to media coverage that might upset you and your family.
• Draw on skills that you have used in the past to manage your emotions at particularly difficult times.

Help children cope with stress

Children are also likely to feel stressed right now and might be showing it by being more clingy or anxious, by withdrawing, being angry, agitated and in bed-wetting.

It’s important to be supportive and to try and provide them with more love and attention, to be patient and speak kindly to them.

How to help children cope with stress:

• If possible, make time to play so they can enjoy themselves and relax.
• Try to keep children close to parents and family, and if separation occurs, ensure regular telephone contact for reassurance.
• Try to keep to your regular routines and schedules for a sense of normalcy.
• Give them information about what is happening in words that they can understand.

The World Health Organisation also has a page for Covid-19 with information about the virus, news and guidelines on how to protect yourself.

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