Suddenly, and so intensely, the pandemic upended our lives.

Thus, it is no surprise that we are experiencing stress in various forms during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be in the form of job loss, lack of sleep, anxiety, constant worrying, isolation, burnout, or loss of loved ones. Stress affects us in different ways; and there is no standard reaction to stress either.

It is important for us to process our emotions and refrain from engaging coping strategies that instead of making us feel better, may only make us feel worse.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recommends some ways to take care of our mental health:

1. Take care of the basics. This means that you need to maintain a routine (however difficult, now that we basically cannot tell weekends from weekdays), get enough sleep, eat healthy and exercise regularly.

2. Stay connected with your family and friends. Human connections are important. Thanks to technology, you can connect with family and friends that are not close to you physically. Whether synchronous or asynchronous communications, it helps to know someone is on the other end.

3. Disconnect occasionally. Although it is important to be informed (via reliable sources, of course), you also owe it to yourself to detach from negative news that may elevate your anxiety and stress levels.

4. Get the facts about COVID-19. There is a lot of false information circulating online. It would be best to check in with reliable official websites such as https://www.moh.gov.sg/ for verified information.

5. Understand what you are feeling. It is normal to feel overwhelmed especially if you have experienced trauma or psychological problems in the past.

Remember that you are not alone in this. So it is important to be kind to one another.

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