Is Your Mental Health Affected by the Pandemic?

This means that global stress is reaching levels never seen before and that its effects are seen for several years after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed.

Universities and research centers around the world in Chile, Northern Ireland Assembly, Spain (Barcelona Institute of Global Health) are warning about the urgent need to act now to improve the mental health of the most vulnerable people: children, the elderly, and women, who by our biology already have a greater risk of suffering from anxiety and depression we must be the center of interventions. We are on the verge of experiencing an unprecedented crisis of mental illness and most people do not have the psychological capital to deal with the issue. We were never educated to regulate our emotions and this is the moment when reality requires us to be able to face, manage and overcome them.

However, we cannot fall into learned hopelessness, as women, we have the power to spread positive emotions and this is the opportunity to take care of ourselves in order to take care of ourselves, to stop along the way, and develop emotional strength to face adversity. So let's get to work and let's start incorporating small actions that help us take that first step for our emotional well-being:

-Define each day a space to calm down and enjoy it fully (a relaxing shower, aromatherapy with scents, read a good book).

-Incorporate active breaks before feeling overwhelmed: Plan in your day a time to pray, meditate, visualize or whatever resonates with you, spirituality is a key element in emotional balance.

Also read: HOW TO KEEP OUR BRAIN IN GOOD SHAPE?

-Get moving: Your brain changes neurotransmitters when you do physical activity, so spend between fifteen minutes and an hour each day activating your body.

-Adjust your diet: The intestine is your second brain and the place where 90% of serotonin is produced, a hormone response to a large extent for your well-being. That is why taking care of our intestinal health is also taking care of our emotional health, for this, I recommend eliminating ultra-processed foods and replace them with those rich in fiber and probiotics such as kombucha, kefir, and yogurt, in just 48 hours you will see how your mood improves.

-Be grateful: Keeping a gratitude journal has the same effect as taking an anxiolytic pill. So every night write down five things that you are grateful for and before going to sleep remember the best of your day.

You have to take the first step to maintain emotional balance and if you feel that you can no longer alone, it is time to overcome the prejudices that exist towards mental health and consult a psychologist or psychiatrist to help us return to stability.