[foogallery id=”1987″]
Written by Wesseh, Cucu
Editor-in-Chief
The conduit of wellbeing and mental health
If mental health is the “psychological well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of life”; it is then appropriate to posit that “wellness” is the principal conduit to our well-being and mental health. In the context of prevailing circumstances finding a rational balance between our well-being and mental health is essential…
Pandemic Impact
During these unprecedented times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we are certainly bewildered by a multitude of challenges and forced to adapt to new behavioral patterns. It is impossible to elude the notion and understanding that we live in a “Global Village”. In fact the rapid spread of the Coronavirus commonly known as COVID-19 amplifies our interconnectedness.
Working or studying remotely from home poses a series of serious mental health challenges as well as psychosocial implications of exercising physical distancing as we strive to maintain social relationships.
The current pandemic has affected our health systems in such a way that some have collapsed, while others continue to be collapsing, because of immense functional pressure and capacity overload.
On the other hand, scarcity of medical professionals and shortage in care-giving staff is resulting in shutdown of logistical and operational infrastructures of health systems in many countries.
Being mindful of factors of wellbeing by adhering to public health and safety regulations is of paramount importance and necessary for psychosocial behaviour during these challenging times. This is important in terms of coping with newly enforced regulatory norms and measures such as physical distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, travel restriction, relative ban on mobility, national aerial lockdowns, extended state of emergency and panic shopping.
Psychosocial factor effects
Physical distancing is not synonymous to social distancing. The psychological effects of working from home are a component of combined pressure from anxiety, loneliness and stress. Anyone currently working or studying from home understands specifically the nature of mental health implications associated with such experience(s) on a personal level.
To provide a detailed and descriptive outline of specific individual circumstances is not the purpose of this blog. Nonetheless, however challenging a particular situation or circumstance may be; it is pivotal to be mindful of all implications relative to our sense of well-being, mental health and physical wellness in these stormy times.
Peer-support, Empathy and Calm for Community Cohesion
At the beginning of March, the well-being team at Think Africa attempted to facilitate a series of separate and specific peer-group initiatives separately for men and women of foreign background in partnership with the Y-Care TAT project of the Helsinki YMCA and Mental Health Finland.
The focus of the peer support is on providing practical tools to assist individuals in maintaining and preserving a balance between improved mental health and wellness for sustainable wellbeing.
Coping Under Disruption
Unfortunately, due to the growing surge of the SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19 pandemic all peer support group activities have been postponed. However, Think Africa has resolved to continue its regular hub meetup time online. Due to the successful advancement in technology we are able to continue our engagement in a variety of human process interaction despite the disruption of physical social contacts in groups. Furthermore, because of the importance and focus we place on well-being, we have scheduled an online web training session for April 7th at 17:00 during the next Think Africa hub. This web training will focus on a participatory approach on how to cope with challenges during COVID-19. The training is intended to build on shared experiences for community support as well as serve to provide tips and guidance crisis management during these unprecedented times.
If you would like to join in on this online session, please send an email to wesseh.cucu@thinkafrica.fi with your name and include an indication of your interest to attend the online meeting and we will share a link with you.
During crises and in times of tragedy, our individual emotional perseverance and strength are stretched to limits of reaction and our ability to cope. Thus, our orthodox familiarity with ”normal” and the “usual” is being disrupted and eroded because of the continuous outbreak situation related to the current pandemic.
Anxieties and uncertainties in relation to physical distancing and the relative degree of semi-indefinite travel ban is having a tremendous toll on human lives as far as our wellness, mental health and wellbeing are concerned.
We are relational creatures and as such our biological and physiological functions are affected by events occurring in our immediate habitats and the extended ecosystem. The choices we make and the responsibility associated with such choices are of utmost importance in maintaining relative normality of social construct.
During the storm of this Coronavirus tragedy and its inherent crisis, we should and must be mindful of our wellness, personal wellbeing and mental health by adopting the following best practices:
- wake up routinely and eat breakfast as usual, and dress and make yourself up as if you are going to work or to school.
- go out and enjoy a jog, walk and spend quality time; interact and watch movies with spouses and immediate family members. For those living alone, have a Netflix party with friends or family.
- call friends, work colleagues, classmates and relatives
Sunset Optimism
If any positive is to be deduced from this crisis; it is that technology is shaping our “Modus Operandi”. Specifically, during this crisis, it is clear that online and/or distance learning is the new frontier of education with technology serving as the conduit and connecting vector of socialization.
From a professional career and scholarship perspective, remote working and distant learning will become the innovative design for professional interaction.
The pivotal issue of concern, is the uncertainty of our future and perhaps what the long term effects of this crisis will be on our mental health and our physical interactions.
With our unique biological characteristics, we are prone to emotionally react differently to anxiety and stress, especially with regard to physical distancing (separation or isolation) from family, relatives, friends and/or co-workers.
Fortunately, with the help of technology we are witnessing and experiencing several proactive measures in the sphere of mental health and well-being.
