Feeling loneliness, anxiety, or depression as we move into the 2nd wave of the pandemic? Listen to the interview with Dr. Maneet Bhatia from Global News here or view the transcript below.
Interviewer 1:
The second wave of the pandemic, of course, is already here, and some Canadians may be feeling lonely, stressed, or anxious with the idea of being stuck at home once again.
Interviewer 2:
On Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve brought in Clinical Psychologist Maneet Bhatia with three ways to help us cope. Maneet, your first tip is, “Accepting the reality of the pandemic and realizing that it may be harder to deal with in colder months.” But how do we do this?
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Well, thank you for having me on, on this very important topic, and you’re bang-on. The first concept here, the tip here is to learn to accept where we’re at. It’s very hard for all of us to accept things. Acceptance doesn’t necessarily mean that we like it, or we have to agree with it, or that we actually enjoy it, but it’s really coming to a place in the mindset to say, “This is the reality we’re in.” We all resist that.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Psychologically, it leads to distress. It leads to more anxiety. It leads to more frustration. So, psychologically speaking, acceptance is realizing that this is where we’re at right now, and we have to learn to adapt within that frame of reference.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
What I was saying was the summertime provided us with a lot of opportunity for distraction, but the winter can be hard, and it can be difficult. It can create anxiety and stress. We have to learn to accept and be aware these are normal feelings, normal fears, and if we can accept those, it can help us shift our mind frame to be more positive, versus being stuck in a negative state of mind.
Interviewer 1:
Yeah. I think it’s hard for so many people with this being the second wave to accept that it’s still the reality, or it’s the reality once again. Of course, the second wave is forcing many people to either consider, or they actually are staying at home once again. Your second tip is about actually appreciating those in your life and your loved ones.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Yeah, absolutely. I think, tying it back to acceptance and then into appreciation, we get so caught up in what we don’t have, and what we’re missing out on, and what we wanted to do, or what we were doing in the past. But if we stay in the present and have acceptance, it can allow us to appreciate the relationships we do have and to truly embrace those. Right now, we’re in the process of being in thanksgiving and the idea of gratitude and the idea of actually being thankful for what we do have.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
If we follow the psychological construct, gratitude is very helpful for us to have closer bonds and relationships with people, and it helps have deeper connections with people. It, actually, has healthy outcomes for our mental wellbeing. So, part of acceptance and appreciation is also having gratitude for what we do have, versus hoping and wishing and being angry about what we don’t have.
Interviewer 2:
All right. So, we’ve talked acceptance. We’ve talked appreciation. Your next tip is about making time for yourself. What do you suggest?
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Yes, absolutely. We talk about the fact that we’re going into a second wave. It’s extremely distressing for all of us. On a daily basis, we’re negotiating this pandemic, and it has an enormous impact on us. More than ever now, we have to be extremely mindful of our mental health, and we all have to do our part to check in with ourselves.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
So, paying attention and tuning in and saying, “How am I feeling today? What’s my mood like? Am I reaching out to my social network? Am I talking to my friends, my loved ones? How are my sleep patterns?” In order to accomplish healthier goals, we have to continue to have healthy sleep hygiene, making sure we eat healthily, engage in physical activity, exercise within the safe guidelines of our health regulations, and encouraging ourselves to continue to connect and to make sure that it’s normal to feel anxious. It’s normal to feel stressed. We’re living in a pandemic. We’re all not machines; we’re human. We have to, then, tune in and take care of ourselves: continue to reach out to others, continue to monitor how we’re feeling, giving priority to our mental wellness because, without that, we’re going to be in a deeper state of stress. So, it’s really just giving yourself self-care, self-compassion, and taking care of your mind.
Interviewer 1:
Maneet, those are such important questions that we all need to ask ourselves. But, if we are feeling anxious or we’re feeling depressed, what can we do to improve our mood particularly? We’ve talked about the pandemic, the flu, and, of course, coronavirus, but what hasn’t really been discussed a lot is, come the winter, of course, there’s also SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. If we’re also feeling, maybe, anxious or depressed because of the pandemic, that could be another kind of pandemic. How do we improve our mood in the winter months?
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Yeah, that’s a really good point about how even outside of a pandemic, the winter and the fall can be very difficult for many people’s mental health. It leads to a lot more isolation, longer, darker days, colder weather, especially in colder cities. One of the things we always talk about in counseling when I’m working with patients, for example, or even just in general life, is, again, making sure you stay connected.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Part of our mood is connected to our relationships, our attitudes, paying attention to our thought patterns. We’re more likely to get into more of a depressive or negative thought pattern, and part of that is trying to learn to gently challenge our thinking patterns. Try to look for more healthy, realistic viewpoints on situations versus negative ones. Then, the attitude of “nothing is permanent,” staying in the present because when we’re in those moments of darkness in the winter, when things don’t seem like they’re going to get better, most of these things in life are transient. If we can learn to have the perspective of staying present and not getting too far ahead of ourselves, or being too upset about the past, and staying grounded in the moment, it can bring a sense of calm.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
With that calm, we can have a more healthier, more balanced, more grounded approach. We’re going to feel negative. We’re going to feel upset. We’re going to feel anxious, but it’s not letting it get out of control. If we can implement those strategies regarding staying socially connected, exercising, eating healthy, sleep hygiene, these things can help us create those barriers and those buffers, rather, around the distress that comes with the pandemic, with winter months, and all the things we’re discussing here today.
Interviewer 2:
Now, Maneet, if you do need extra support, where can people find help?
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
Yeah, absolutely. I know one of the things I always tell people is you can reach out online. There’s numerous resources out there, but even just more in your own communities. I know we’re airing in different places. But in your own community, reaching out to a family doctor, reaching out to local mental health community resources, psychologists, counselors. There are numerous resources online where you can find mental health support. Even in Ontario, where we are, there’s this 211 you can call, which gives you all kinds of resources.
Dr. Maneet Bhatia:
So, there’s abundance of resources. There’s people there to help. It’s really you remembering out there, those of you watching who are feeling a bit down, that you are not alone. There’s enormous amounts of help out there. It’s having the courage and the strength to reach out, picking up a phone, opening up your internet browser, and searching, and there’s numerous resources out there to help you during this time.
Interviewer 1:
For sure. Maneet Bhatia with us on Mental Health Awareness Week. Some important words, Maneet. Thank you so much for this.
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