This page is targeted towards Bengali-speaking patients. Videos courtesy of Healthserve.
1. What is mental well-being? মানসিক সুস্থতা বলতে কি বোঝায়?
Mental wellbeing is an integral part of our overall health. It is how we respond to life’s ups and downs. It is important to understand that mental wellbeing is not the absence of mental illness or the lack of problems, challenges, and adversity.
You can have mental wellness even when if you are having an illness or going through a hard time in life, such as the current COVID19 pandemic.
2. I’m not sick, but many friends and I feel down and stressed. Why? আমি অসুস্থ নই, কিন্তু আমি ও আমার অন্যান্য বন্ধুরা খুবই মানসিক চিন্তা ও দুর্দশা/অবসাদের মধ্যে আছি, কেন?
COVID19 is has affected people directly and indirectly all over the world physically, emotionally, financially and socially. Even if you are not infected with COVID19, it is normal to feel stressed, anxious or down. We read and hear news about the impact of COVID many times each day. After some time, our emotions and mood start to get affected. Our lives are also changed in many ways. We are not able to move about as freely as we used to. We are also not able to interact with our family and friends like how we used to. We may be worried about our health, our jobs, our family’s welfare. All these changes add a tremendous amount of stress to our lives.
3. What can I do to make things better? এই অবস্থার উন্নতি করার জন্য আমি কি করতে পারি?
Seek accurate information from reliable sources and do not believe and spread everything we read or hear. Limit the number of times we actively search out news about the disease to just once or twice a day. Keep ourselves healthy by practicing good hygiene. Keep others healthy by practising social distancing. Seek medical attention early even if we feel mildly sick and cooperate with the authorities. Continue to communicate regularly with family and friends through non-face-to-face means. Help look out for others that you know.
4. It’s difficult to sleep at night. What can I do? রাতে ঘুমানো খুব মুশকিল। আমি কি করতে পারি?
During this time, our sleep may be affected because we may be worried about many things. Try to avoid discussing troubling things just before sleeping time. Also practice deep breathing exercises and focusing on positive thoughts may help relax. Do not try to use alcohol to help with your sleep as it will lead to other problems and cutting down on smoking and coffee/tea particularly in the afternoon would help.
5. How can I help others in my room/dorm who are feeling stressed? আমার ঘরে/ ডর্মে অন্যান্য যারা এই চাপের মধ্যে আছে, তাদের জন্য আমি কি করতে পারি?
If you room/dorm mate wishes to talk about what is troubling them, it would be good to lend a listening ear. Sharing your own anxieties and worries with them may also help to assure one another that they are not alone in this. Try to provide simple practical help. Involve him in some daily activities. Check in with him regularly and look out for any behavioral changes. Inform your supervisor if you notice sudden behavioral changes such as withdrawal, poor appetite or poor sleep.
6. My family back home is worried about me, and this stresses me. I don’t feel like calling them anymore. What can I do? দেশে আমার পরিবার আমার জন্য দুশ্চিন্তায় আছে, আর সেটা আমার চাপ আরও বাড়াচ্ছে। আমার এখন তাদের ফোন/কল করতেও ইচ্ছা করছেনা। আমি কি করব?
By not calling them, you may worsen their anxiety and worries and that would also affect you eventually. You can consider calling them less frequently for example, once in 2 days, and during the conversation try to talk about something else other than COVID19, your health or your situation. You can also assure them of your well-being by sending text messages or photos instead.
7. I’m constantly worried about catching COVID-19. What can I do? আমি সারাক্ষণ উদ্বিগ্ন হয়ে আছি কোভিড-19 এর সংক্রমণের আতংকে। আমি কি করব?
Remember that you are not alone in this. People would naturally be worried that they may get infected. Remember that infection can be prevented by simple measures of washing hands frequently, coughing or sneezing into tissue paper, wearing a mask when unwell, and keeping a safe distance from others. Remember also, that COVID19 is a mild disease for most people who get infected. Keep yourself meaningfully occupied with a daily routine and by maintaining regular communication with your friends and family.
8. I feel frustrated and helpless to be indoors all the time. What can I do? সবসময় বাড়ীর ভেতরে থাকায় আমি অসহায় ও হতাশ বোধ করছি। আমি কি করব?
Try to have a schedule of the routine that will fill the hours of the day. You can do simple exercises even when you are indoors. Stretching and other exercises have been shown to improve our mood states. Try to do fun things like playing board games, mobile games, watching TV/movies or listening to music. You can also connect with your friends and family through social media. Focus on the good aspect of things and remind yourselves that this is temporary and it will eventually pass and things will be normal again.
Featuring Dr Susmita Roy Chowdhury, organised by Healthserve