Mental Health During Pandemic
Thriving Through COVID-19: Mental Health Tips to Deal With This Pandemic

Hi Friends! Just wanted to take a moment to check in. COVID-19 is really taking a toll on many of us mentally, physically and financially. First and foremost, I want to let you know the you are not alone. My anxiety has skyrocketed the past few weeks and I am finding ways to power through without letting it get the best of me. With that said, being at home & stuck inside with unnerving news programming and the stress of COVID-19 running our lives, the overall tone of life right now may be anything less than HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY.

While coping with the external affects of COVID-19 myself, I came across this article from my Baptist Health South Florida Family. Rachel V. F. Rohaidy, M.D., a Baptist Health psychiatrist who specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental, addictive and emotional disorders recommends focusing on proper sleep hygiene and encourages getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night to deal with the pressure we are all facing right now.

Dr. Rohaidy, featured in a new Baptist HealthTalk podcast, emphasizes tuning out of the daily COVID-19 news “marathons” and adopting “sleep hygiene” habits.

“Sleep hygiene is really a series of behaviors and so we want bedtimes and our bedrooms to be a sanctuary” — with all TVs, phones and tablets turned off, she tells podcast host, Jonathan Fialkow, M.D., deputy medical director, chief of cardiology and a certified lipid specialist at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. You can access Baptist HealthTalk on your computer or smartphone via Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. (Also, see below about connecting with a licensed behavioral health professional via Care On Demand.)

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Dr. Rohaidy explains:
Many suppressed cases of anxiety, depression, exasperation and increased stress are popping up because we are being inundated with negative press and too much information. Dr. Rohaidy is also observing and treating chronic disease patients with worsting conditions. His advice: get the proper information from a reputable news source to limit your exposure and set yourself up for sleep success. AKA practic good sleep hygiene.
As a psychologist, Dr. Rohaidy encourages his patients to make sleep a priority. He says: If we don’t get a good night’s sleep, we’re going to have much more stress and anxiety … So turn the TV off; turn the news off; turn the phones off; turn everything off — a couple of hours before you go to sleep and wind down — absolutely.”
Lastly, many of us work from home right now which leads to a constant state of information receptiveness! Phew! How exhausting is that? Dr. Rohaidy simply wants people to stop. Step away from the screens to minimize stress and anxiety.
I did an Instagram Live yesterday on hormones and oe of the topics was sleep hygiene. Hormone Health Coach Lauren Chambers connected the dots for me.

Here’s How…

Think about babies and children. Good sleep habits are formed when you build routine. Every night for basically CJ’s whole life has been the same: bath, bottle, book, sleep. Creating evening rituals set up your sleep hygiene and get you ready for a restorative nights rest.

My sleep ritual includes:

Shower
5 minutes of skincare
A Book, journal or puzzle with a cup of tea
Evening meditation
I also try to eat at least two hours before bed and if we went to watch TV, I always wear blue light glasses and we are in bed before ten. Creative good sleep hygiene takes some time and a little trial and error, but when you wake up feeling rested and restored, you will have much more strength to deal with the stress and anxiety COVID-19 may bring your way.

Source URL: http://www.taylorwalkerfit.com/covid-19-mental-health-tips/