Feeling depressed? Here are some tips from the experts to counter depression during the quarantine.

Feeling depressed? Here are some tips from the experts to counter depression during the quarantine

 As major people self-isolate to defeat the spread of COVID-19, a specialist offers tips on how to counter depression during the crisis.

The eruption of the new coronavirus has struck many areas of daily life, including mental health. With the unexpected interruption of our routines and the new pattern of social distancing, life as we knew it has dramatically changed in a matter of weeks. Suddenly, many of us are suffering the stress of the news—and its impact on our finances—alone, placing us at risk for depression during the coronavirus outbreak.

"This is the perfect storm for depression and anxiety,” states Dr. Robert Leahy, an attending psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the author of The Worry Cure and Keeping Your Head After Losing Your Job, and a national specialist in cognitive therapy.

With everything operating on, people can discover themselves ruminating, appearing hopeless and helpless, and, eventually depressed. The National Institute for Mental Health describes depression as a general but dangerous mood disorder that negatively affects how you feel, think, and manage daily activities such as sleeping, eating, and working. Symptoms include a persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood, irritability, and feelings of guilt and negative thinking.

"We are facing a national trauma, whether it’s the fear of being infected or infecting someone else, or the economic downturn, and many people are isolated,” Dr. Leahy states. Those who already strive with depression and stress may find the situation intensifies their feelings. Others who are practiced to keeping busy may suddenly notice themselves alone with their thoughts more, and lacking friends and family outside of their house.

While the requirement to sustain social distance produces some barriers, there are specific steps you can take to “make the best of the worst,” according to Dr. Leahy. Here, he designs out ways to guard your mental health and counter depression during the coronavirus outbreak.

It’s OK to feel confused and to confess to yourself and to others these are tough times. Yet this could be a chance to consider what you value or want to do with your life. If you view this period as an intentional practice of not going out to restaurants and bars, you may understand you can succeed without those routines. When the pandemic falls and the emergency is lifted, you may notice you welcome the freedom to go to the gym or hang out with your friends even more.

Just because we are self-isolating doesn’t imply we need to truly isolate ourselves. Make a listing of friends, including some you haven’t had communication within a long time, and use your phone as a telephone. Set up a routine time each day to communicate with people, and schedule virtual get-togethers on online platforms to speak or maybe even play games. You could start a book club online with your friends.