Neeta, 45 yrs, married, postgraduate, working as a successful bureaucrat, was feeling easily fatigued after climbing a few stairs post-Covid. She was having chest pain which she was not discussing with anybody, after she consulted the cardiologist it was found her dimer levels were raised. People started cautioning her not to work out and be careful. Her overthinking increased as she read about post-covid effects on lungs, kidneys, and other organs. Meanwhile, she was more concerned about her children's recovery who also had contracted covid and had not been able to restore their taste. Parental anxiety was heightened, planned surgeries were delayed, and her child went for an eclectic surgery, and contracted covid during the hospital stay.

Pic: Canva

Impressions: Anxiety symptoms and obsessive thinking.
We all want to be in control of our lives most of the time, and covid has challenged that taking away the stability in most possible ways, Mental health will have a larger role to play to decide how well we can cope while diagnosed with covid and in post covid recovery for adults and elderly population. Covid-19 has struck without discrimination i.e irrespective of age, education, economic strata, and gender. Hence every one's mental health is impacted more or less.
Post covid stress reaction is a fairly common phenomenon in these times, we can see it in adults and the elderly, as they have been most affected. Whether one has contracted covid or not irrespective we all are in a peritraumatic stage through vicariously witnessing so much suffering around us and so much uncertainty,&nbsp; we are surrounded with, a loss of prediction we don&rsquo;t know when life will be normal?&nbsp; when can we plan vacations freely? when will children start going to school? when will we be back to business?? When can we socialize freely?&nbsp; loss of safety, we feel so vulnerable? for some even the vaccines are so threatening because of so much misinformation spread on social media and news,&nbsp; loss of time zones,&nbsp; loss of social connectivity, leading to loss of control in the given scenario.

There is a complete commotion we are dealing with as an individual and as a family. Post covid lingering symptoms like getting easily tired, poor sleep, lack of taste and smell of food,&nbsp; inability to quickly resume the normal activity even after the test result is negative, and last but not the least so much information overload on social media and news channels giving the gloomiest picture. All of this is baffling the patient's recovery post covid, further raising the anxiety level. For some, it may be causing post-traumatic stress disorder, especially for the ones who have to be admitted in an emergency or had to struggle to breathe with no medical infrastructure or whether it&rsquo;s a long covid recovery, home isolation, or an inpatient experience. Most of the stress comes from a misinterpretation of your symptoms like anything to do with throat or mouth post covid seen as a sign of black fungus, or a chest pain as a cardiac problem, and likewise a lot of self-diagnosis.
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The question arises of what to do, the very first thing that one should do is refrain from self-diagnosing and misinterpreting the symptoms. Prevent yourself from imagining the worst outcome, as it gets you to relive the fear so many times which further puts your body in stressful situations. Let's understand that Covid is a new virus, hence every person is showing a unique journey while healing, so avoids comparison, listen to your body don&rsquo;t push it, and not feel stressed if you take some time to resume your old routine. Take one day at a time and decide your activities and routine on how you feel on that day physically. Ensure you are well hydrated, well-fed, and take good care of your hygiene,&nbsp; Make sure you don&rsquo;t socially isolate yourself. The very nature of the treatment that happens in isolation can lead to excessive boredom, try and plan things to counter like learning new skills, DIY activities, cooking, baking, some gardening, relaxing engaging in music, learning, and singing. Ensure you don&rsquo;t lock yourself at home, get out for some fresh air with the physical distancing in place, and opt for some volunteer work to help your community. Be aware that people around you may be emotionally vulnerable, check on them.
Let's remember these are unusual times and it will warrant unusual steps too. Take a quick self-assessment on Lissun and reach out to our experts for counseling for the help and care you need.
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Your mental health & your post COVID recovery
By: Dr. Preeti Singh - Chief Medical Officer, Lissun

Your Mental Health Decides Your Recovery Time

your-mental-health-decides-your-recovery-time