Coronavirus: Anxiety during Pandemics can affect your immunity

In this article, Dr Phani Prasant, consultant psychiatrist, talks about how anxiety during pandemics can affect our mental health. He further says that how important it is to stay calm at this point of time and how to distract the mind from unwanted thoughts.

Hyderabad: Mental health has always been a priority to humankind and it’s even more unavoidable to begin with emphasising its importance, right now and forever!

The pandemic situation we are in now brings in the point where mental health has become a point of attention, where one should also take care of, along with the basic precautions from the virus attack.

After the novel coronavirus took a plunge, people have begun to stress and worry about the virus spread. This is bringing in so much unwanted stress and causing a lot of anxiety, which is increasing, after every new news update on the virus spread.

But do you know that your mental health plays a very prominent role in maintaining the balance of your immunity levels?

Yes, mental health equals your immunity levels and that’s why mental health right now has begun to be a topic, one needs to address along with the safety precautions with the virus attack.

“People read and watch the news and are firstly getting panicked with the situation. This is the main reason for stress. They are beginning to spread the same anxiety and this is scaring the entire community. It’s important that people do not share information that they aren’t sure about. This is only causing more stress, putting mental health at risk,” says Dr Phani Prasant, consultant psychiatrist, Chetana hospitals.

Further talking, Dr Prasant discussed how mental health is important when we are in such pandemic situations. “Our body can tolerate stress only to a certain extent and when we keep pressuring our brain with some thoughts about the same situation, our mental health is then at danger. This is only making our immune system weak and hence making us more prone to the virus attack”.

“It’s important that people understand the need to stay calm and peaceful at this hour. Distracting oneself from situations like these, by meditating, enjoying self-time, spending quality time playing/with family, getting yourself engaged in some productive work, completing old tasks, are all few ways one can keep themselves busy and healthy in a productive way,” explains Dr Prasant.

Updates about the virus spread should only be making us aware of the situation rather than making us more vulnerable to the situation. The more calm and peaceful we look at the situation, the better we can combat it. Precautionary measures to fight the virus have already been spoken about and its time people fight the situation mentally healthy.