one of the biggest impacts of the global covid 19 situation has been the effects on our collective
mental health studies on the global burden of disease were already showing that mental disorders
make up 5 out of 10 leading causes of disability in the world and this was before the pandemic
started the stress anxiety and depression stemming from fear isolation and stigma around covid 19
have affected all of us in one way or another kids can't go to school at least in some places
and normally see their friends many people are losing their jobs and the elderly are isolated
from their usual support network of course the past year has been hard on health care workers
having to work long hours personal risk of exposure to the virus and witnessing firsthand the
loss of people's colleagues and loved ones here in the united states mental health conditions are
affecting as many as one in five people around 47 million as devastating as covid 19 has been
current case numbers are sitting at half that amount the issue is that the effects
of the pandemic on our mental health may be far longer lasting than the disease itself
covid has also caused disruptions to our mental health in an indirect manner the measures taken
to slow the spread of the virus have affected our physical activity levels
our eating behaviors our sleep patterns and our relationship with addictive substances
including social media and to this last point both our increased use of social media while
stuck at home as well as the increased exposure to disaster news over the past
year have amplified the negative effects of social media on our mental health thankfully the news is
not all bad especially with new plans for rolling out of the vaccines so in this video i want to
give some recommendations for boosting your mental health as we get through this pandemic together
now the first thing is of course exercise there's new even stronger evidence for the
positive benefits of exercise on mental health all of the most common forms of aerobic exercise
like walking running or stationary cycling have displayed these improvements encouragingly these
benefits have still been present at follow-ups up to 12 months after the interventions have ended
now what about resistance training this too has provided similar reductions in depressive symptoms
over an eight week period compared to cardio now you don't have to exhaust yourself so either low
to moderate intensity exercise improves mood and vigor while high intensity training if
overdone has more potential to increase tension and fatigue the american college
of sports medicine recommends at least two to three 20 to 30 minute exercise sessions per week
during isolation we can enjoy the saved transit time and decreased cost of working out at home
of course nutrition plays a role as well so epidemiological studies investigating
the relationship between diet and mental health have steadily increased over the last decade
research is showing the increased risk of developing depression and anxiety when consuming
a highly processed western diet now on the flip side studies have also emerged showing the link
between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables healthy fats nuts fish and low in processed foods
and the protection from developing common mental disorders the mediterranean diet has been ranked
the healthiest way of eating by dietitians and doctors for the fourth year in a row
it's a non-restrictive mostly plant-based eating style which has been extensively
researched with study after studies showing benefits for weight loss lower risk of diseases
like diabetes and high blood pressure better digestion and even healthier aging
the diet is based on eating habits in regions like greece and southern italy the so-called
blue zones which are regions of the world where people tend to live the longest healthiest lives
more than a third of adults experience sleep difficulties in the first half of 2020 alone us
google searches for insomnia increased by 58 more often than not these problems occur in conjunction
with physical and mental health burdens since covid 19 has disrupted our daily routines
our sleep hygiene as it's known is suffering as a result some things you can try to improve your
sleep quality include eliminating screens at least an hour before bedtime incorporating some form
of mindfulness or relaxation into your routine whether that be yoga or breathing exercises or
guided meditation mindfulness and also optimizing your sleep space this includes making sure the
room temperature light exposure and noise levels are are all conducive to getting a restful sleep
and if you have dry air in the home maybe a humidifier will help with your sleep as
well and one more point i want to make is that a lot of people have undiagnosed allergic rhinitis
whether that be perennial allergic rhinitis or seasonal allergic rhinitis and what happens is
their nose becomes very stuffy and their mouth breathers at night and so they have a harder
time getting a good night's rest and they don't even recognize this problem and so this is me
actually so uh so it's not only me it's a lot of my patients and a lot of people in the population
don't even realize this so this is something that you should be aware of and maybe doesn't apply to
you but a lot of people do have this condition so could be something for you to think about
depending on the weather and restrictions in your area you may be able to get outside for a certain
amount of time each day i suggest you take this opportunity whenever possible the restorative
properties of interacting with nature include lower levels of stress and reduced symptoms of
anxiety and depression getting outside also means you're spending less time on social media and away
from your phone and the importance of this can't be underestimated you'll also get the benefits
of healthy sunlight exposure weather permitting this plays a vital role in mental well-being by
regulating our energy levels and it also is a source or at least partly a source of her
vitamin d supply since the pandemic has started i started running outside again and it feels amazing
one of the major causes of the covid mental health burden is our isolation from others it's critical
to reach out in meaningful ways to friends family and colleagues for their sake as much as your own
i would advise wherever possible to use a visual means of communicating with your circle
whether that be through zoom or facetime or skype or whatever at the very least try to have a voice
call as useful as texts are well they lack the expressiveness and body language and tonality
that make up the bulk of how we connect with one another on a meaningful level
now during christmas i was able to face time with my family about eight different phones
were involved where we're all connected at once and my brother told me you can actually have up
to 30 people or so connected on facetime so that was pretty cool and for those dealing
with more serious mental health challenges there are services out there to provide help
the pandemic has allowed for vast improvements in access to and delivery of online support services
and the final tip i have for mental health is to stay positive so having a positive mindset
is easier said than done but it does help with improving your mental well-being and even though
we are undergoing difficult times with the worst of the worst being january 2021 there is light at
the end of this tunnel not only do we have the new rollout for the pfizer and moderna vaccines in the
works but there's also the johnson and johnson in the astrazeneca vaccines that are on the horizon
also the number of people who've been reported to have been infected with coronavirus is at least
23 million but this isn't really accounting for all of people who've had asymptomatic disease or
mild disease who actually haven't been diagnosed with covid so most experts are estimating that
the true number of coronavirus cases in the united states is around 70 million that means that about
20 percent of the population will be immune to the virus as a result of their previous infection then
when you throw in the warmer more humid air going into the spring and summer in combination with
the new biden administration and some of these newer medications that are helping to mitigate
severe cover disease there's definitely light at the end of this tunnel and i expect that by
june july then this pandemic is going to get much much better and hopefully over with by the fall
hopefully these tips have helped give you some inspiration as we get through this
home stretch of the pandemic together so thanks for watching and i'll see you in the next one
you