Healthy mind vital in crisis situation: Doc

GOOD mental health enables people to get through a crisis or stressful situation, a doctor says.
Dr Uma Ambi, the acting director of the Social Change and Mental Health Service directorate, said in a crisis situation such as the Covid-19 pandemic, some people would not be able to cope with the associated stress and anxiety.
She said stressful events could break those who were not strong in the mind, because the state of mind was reflected in the way people responded to situations and did things.
She said people could make a conscious effort in building their mental strength.
“When you toughen your mind, you can overcome the negative by positive actions,” she said.
She noted a couple of things to rebuild mental toughness after a stressful event:

• MAKE connections with your family, friends and people who are important to you;
• AVOID seeing a crisis as an insurmountable problem, which means you cannot change stressful events happening but you can change how you can interpret and respond;
• ACCEPT change as part of living and readjust;
• SET realistic goals and work towards them;
• TAKE positive decisive action;
• LOOK for opportunity for self-discovery; and,
• Nurture a positive view of yourself as self-confidence is very important.