How to Keep Mentally Healthy During Lockdown- Interview with Dr Abbasian

The threat of a new virus is tremendously scary, many people are facing extreme stress and difficulty in these testing times. Individuals who were working in retail, pubs and restaurants and who were self-employed, have lost their jobs or have had their incomes reduced due to furlough.

Self-isolating and social distancing means that you unfortunately must avoid meeting family and friends. Many people are worried about their vulnerable loved ones. For the 1.5 million people recommended to stay at home for three months as part of the shielding initiative, restrictions are even more extreme.

It can be hard to escape the constant bad news in the media, which makes it near impossible to maintain positivity.

Due to the stipulations that are in place, people who suffer from mental health problems are fundamentally some of the most affected by this crisis.

However, there are lots of things people can try to help with their well-being during the pandemic.

I spoke with Dr Cyrus Abbasian, who is a Consultant Psychiatrist, Addiction Specialist and a General Psychiatrist. These days he works from home, but he consults patients every day.

In the interview, he raised some points that will decrease the negative feelings that comes with being in isolation.

He recommends people must focus on:

· Family.

· Home.

· Themselves.

We are living in a busy world, and we do not have enough time for family and ourselves he proclaims, and these current times are an excellent opportunity to address these things.

Dr Abbasian mentioned that during lookdown it is best to try and keep to a routine.

He advises for people to try and go to bed early and wake up early around the same time every day. He also believes that exercise at home is a good idea, and he praises the government for allowing people to go outside and exercise once a day, and he strongly suggests that everyone must go out and exercise.

Exercise is not only one of the main activities people can be undertaking during lockdown, Dr Abbasian suggests that you can practice music, watch a movie and even read books you didn’t have the chance to read.

Above all, one of the most important things you can do in lockdown is keep in contact with friends and family online. Dr Abbasian encourages us to not let the lockdown stop us from the simple pleasure of talking to our loved ones, and that there are plenty of website and apps you can use to talk on.

Another important thing that Dr Abbasian mentioned is to avoid reading bad news and be scrupulous about the information on coronavirus. It is important to receive your news from credible places and news sites, so there is no confusion or consumption of misinformation.

By Alireza Abhari