Communicate to maintain your mental health

The most effective measure to cope with coronavirus is staying at home, as constantly pointed out by the authorities. However, maintaining your psychological health, during these social isolation days, is very important as well. It is possible to look after your mental health online. Otherwise, you might be subject to long-term anxiety and depressive disorders. In her interview with the Posta Newspaper, Clinical Psychologist Nilay Uğurlu Öztürk of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), pointed that social isolation did not mean drifting apart from relationships all together. Öztürk said, “You can stay in touch with your loved ones by phone or online.”

Öztürk also stated that being subject to news and social media for a long time was harmful to people as well. “It is okay to get information from trusted sources at certain times. Do not hesitate to express your feelings during this time. There are many ways to express feelings. Chatting, drawing, listening to music, singing, writing might help. Maintaining your old routines or establishing new routines may be good. Also, doing house chores, cooking, spending time in the kitchen may be good for your health. You can use this time to do the things you had been postponing for a long time,” said Öztürk.

MAINTAIN A SIMILAR WORK ROUTINE AT HOME

Öztürk continued her speech as: “If you are working from home, try to create a work area for yourself. Maintain a routine similar to that of at the office. Setting a limit to your work hours, if you can, might be good for you. Be sure to take breaks. This time might be a good opportunity to watch the movies you want to watch or read the books you want to read. If you have children, it will be a good opportunity to spend time together. Doing age-appropriate activities with them, playing, baking, watching movies together would make you feel good as a family. Try to do exercises to help you relax. Take deep breaths, try to focus in the moment. Also remember that you can still seek for psychological help during this time and later. If you think that you have difficulty in coping with intense feelings and that your daily functioning is getting out of hand, do not hesitate to consult an expert.”