Wash your hands. Put at least six feet of distance between yourself and anybody else. Wear a mask when you are in public. Avoid large gatherings.
These are all guidelines used to help you avoid illness in the midst of a pandemic. But no guidelines have been shared to assist you with mental health issues you may be having now.
Thankfully, while mental health seems less tangible than physical health issues, you have steps you can take to ensure that you maintain good mental health during the pandemic.
Call your loved ones and talk over the phone. Exercise in your home. Spend less time on your computer “doomscrolling” on social media. Try meditation. And, consider seeking out a mental health professional.
Why Should You Consider Mental Healthcare?
Mental health issues, at least in America, often get ignored as being “all in the mind.” But mental healthcare is more than just being willing to “push through” any difficulties you may have.
While depression and anxiety can be combated, at least temporarily, with a positive outlook and a proactive attitude, the deep-seated issues that caused these will remain. Oftentimes, these issues cannot be addressed by simply speaking platitudes towards them.
Mental healthcare attempts to strike at the root of what is causing you issues, whether the issues are some sort of serious trauma that is informing your decisions, a relationship issue that is causing you strife, or chemical imbalances that must be addressed through medicinal intervention.
While some issues require mental toughness, no amount of mental toughness alone can overcome mental issues such as depression. Seeking help does not indicate weakness, but indicates a willingness to seek a lifeline and help yourself become better.
The treatments for mental healthcare will vary; some issues can be addressed with talk therapy alone. However, sometimes lifestyle changes are necessary; in some cases, medication is even required. And numerous other kinds of therapy geared towards mental health exist, including mindfulness training and music therapy.
Regardless of the treatment method offered by your professional, going into mental health treatment with an open mind is key; no matter how strange it may seem to be open with a mental professional, that openness can make the difference between just visiting the doctor and having a legitimate breakthrough that improves your life.
A mental professional can help with that far more than a friend can in some cases because the mental professional is neutral. As they don’t know you outside of healthcare, they don’t form personal opinions about you and are able to offer you frank assessments without your having to worry about gossiping being spread among your friend group.
How Can You Get Mental Healthcare Today?
With the pandemic still raging, many businesses have limited their physical interactions and have moved online. While healthcare may not seem like the most typical service to offer online, telemedicine has flourished to the point where many non-emergent issues can be addressed online.
Clinics are now trying telemedicine for the first time; telemedicine, as the name suggests, is the use of electronic means (smartphones, computers, etc.) to communicate with patients and provide some degree of healthcare. While more emergent issues can’t be addressed online, more common doctor visits can be handled online.
Mental healthcare, in particular, fits well within telemedicine. Online mental healthcare is easy to obtain, not just from traditional healthcare clinics but from online-only clinics. They offer many of the same services that could be obtained through a brick-and-mortar clinic, such as appointments with therapists and the ability to prescribe medicine.
And, because many of these clinics do not have as much overhead as physical clinics, overhead is lowered, and the cost for therapy sessions is often decreased.
While seeking a mental health professional is daunting at first, doing so may be the first step in truly securing your mental wellness.