WELLINGTON COUNTY – Stay calm. Stay informed. Stay connected.
That’s the advice Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington executive director Helen Fishburn is giving to help get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, in the midst of all the most recent restrictions and border closures with regard to the novel coronavirus, Fishburn said mental health is a “massive” concern.
“In some ways fear is spreading faster than the virus,” she said. “There are legitimate concerns relating to the spread of the virus but people need to stay really calm, informed and focus on facts in order to deal with this situation.
“Where we struggle as a community is where this fear based on things that aren’t real actually outpace the virus and that’s really what tips people over.”
She gave seven suggestions to help people address and overcome their anxiety.
Educate yourself
Fishburn said it’s important for everyone to educate themselves so they know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and to understand what needs to be done locally.
“Know what to do in different scenarios,” she said.
She suggested knowing what to do locally when there are no symptoms, mild symptoms or significant symptoms.
“So the Ministry of Health website actually goes through some really helpful information because most of this is going to be managed at home and by the phone,” she said.
“Because we do not want people showing up at their family doctor’s office, we do not want people showing up at hospitals because that also increases the spread of this illness – unless, of course, you need to be hospitalized because you’re so ill.
“Then of course we want to make way for those people.”
Have perspective
Fishburn suggested following the news but not following it excessively and finding time for other important and positive things.
“This can be all consuming and … when you lose perspective it just contributes to the fear and panic, which is not good for your health or the health of those people around you,” she said.
Do not inflate risk
Fishburn also implored people not to inflate risk.
“Don’t contribute to that overall fear, so stick to the facts, consider the actual risk to you and your family and follow that kind of decision tree through,” she said. “We want people to act reasonably, calmly, common sense really applies to a lot of what we’re asking people to do but unfortunately what happens with common sense is it goes out the window when everyone is so panicked and making decisions based on fear versus making decisions based on facts.”
Take precautions
Some of the precautions any individual can take include regular hand washing, using antibacterial hand sanitizers, keeping social distance guidelines, staying home when sick, avoiding those who have travelled to other countries and maintaining regular health routines like sleeping well, eating well and exercising.
“All the things you need to just to keep well and to stay well,” she said. “Drinking lots of water is also really important at this point.”
Fishburn also said social distancing was paramount because it’s keeping everyone an individual will come in contact with over the course of a day safe too.
“I have two [elderly] parents,” Fishburn said. “So I need to consider my connection with them right now and other family members who even though they’re all well right now, thankfully, they are in high risk categories.
“So I need to think about who I’ve been in contact with before I just show up at my parent’s house.”
Stay connected
Fishburn said the best way to stay connected through the epidemic is virtually.
“You can have a virtual support network of people to talk to when you’re feeling anxious,” she said. “Picking up the phone, reaching out to someone by text, reaching out to someone by email.”
Or visit the home of an elderly person and leave a care package and then call to tell them you’ve left it.
“So minimizing that face-to-face contact but still keeping connected to people is so important right now,” she said. “It helps keep people grounded, it helps keep people calm and it just keeps that perspective going.”
Coping skills
While people who experience anxiety in every day life may already have coping skills Fishburn explained that for many, feelings of anxiety will be new and intense as a result of the pandemic.
Some of the strategies she suggested include mindfulness, breathing, going for walks, visualization, doing things at home that feel good, watching a movie, making cookies etc.
“Within your home there is a lot of things you can do that is naturally calming and reassuring and using this really as an opportunity to enjoy your family time,” she said. “Our lives are always so busy, we’re all running around to work and to activities in the community and visiting friends and volunteering and all of those things.
“This is an opportunity to step out of that pace and to really ground yourself and to manage that anxiety within yourself and within your family at home.”
Seek help
Fishburn encouraged those are have tried other strategies and are still experiencing anxiety to contact a professional. CMHA Waterloo Wellington has HERE 24/7 which is for mental health and additions support. The lines are open 24 hours a day seven days a week.
“If you can’t sleep in the middle of the night, at two in morning you can call a HERE 24/7 staff and they’ll help you,” she said. “Walk you through managing that anxiety.”
She also suggested contacting other distress centres or looking online for apps and online programming that help walk through and reduce anxiety.
“So even though face to face therapy and face to face support is really diminishing right now because of the precautions we have to take,” she said.
“There is a ton of phone support you can still receive and a lot of online support to actually help you manage your own stress and worry.”
Kids
For children Fishburn said it’s important to help them understand what’s happening.
“Obviously they know something is completely different here but those conversations need to be age appropriate,” she said.
“So the kinds of conversations we have with our high school kids and university age kids it’s going to be very different than obviously the kids that are in preschool or elementary.
“When it comes to younger kids we don’t want to over share or burden them with information or the worries.”
She also said it’s important for children understand how to maintain their health throughout this pandemic.
“We can kind of help them realize and teach them what’s within their control. something that they can do for their own health and also what’s realistic and attainable as well,” she said.
“So all these things we can’t control in this world but here’s something that we can do to stay healthy and to stay well together and also keeping them grounded and giving them perspective on things.
“This is life and these are ways that we can walk with our children through this crisis so that they can learn and they can also know that it’s okay, we’re going to get through this together.”
As for school work Fishburn said it’s up the parents to decide if it’s a good idea for their children. Sometimes kids need their academic work and other times it adds to their stress level.
“It really does depend on your child and what are the things that actually create a calm and consistency,” she said.
“It is important to try an maintain healthy routines through this for kids and families as well, so making sure your kids go to bed on time, doing some school work during the day is also helpful because that’s part of the routine.
“But parents can make judgment calls on how much of that each child will need it best responds to.”
Fishburn said there’s a lot of information out there for everyone.
“Like there’s tons and tons of information out there,” she said.
“It’s just making sure that people are hearing the correct information following the direction of pubic health and doing the things that they need to do to keep themselves and their families safe while staying calm and grounded.”
To contact HERE 24/7 call 1-844-HERE247.
For the latest health information regarding COVID-19, visit the WDGPH website.
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