On managing anxieties and clinging to normalcy

By NURLYANA FARRAH SHARY MOHD JIMIE & SABRINA YUSOF

The Malaysian government has implemented a Movement Control Order (MCO) on the 18th of March after a spike in COVID-19 infections. For health and safety guidelines, resources and information on symptoms and risks, visit the Malaysian Ministry of Health portal or the WHO website. Follow @NewsBFM for the latest developments.

Since the first announcement of the MCO, there has been a constant air of uncertainty and fear of what to expect in the coming weeks. Now with the extension of the order, it can be increasingly difficult to manage the anxieties that come with self-isolation.

But we shouldn’t have to go through this alone. In light of this, we’ve got the Rumit gang to share their experiences of being under quarantine and what we can do to help ourselves and our community through this.👇

Be mindful of the present.

“The coronavirus outbreak has taken a personal toll on me because I work on a team that covers the news,” says Dayana Mustak, one of our writers and a producer for BFM’s Morning Run. “I feel like I have to be plugged in all day everyday even though I can almost feel my body begging not to be barraged with so much traumatising information.”

And Dayana is not the only one feeling this way. Knowing how much our generation has relied on being online to connect, interact and create with others, it can be quite difficult not to constantly check our timelines. What little nooks that we’ve carved out for ourselves on social media has now become a minefield of bad news and insensitive arguments.

“Usually it feels like my brain is a balloon, filled with anxiety air, floating away. But focusing on my senses and being in tune with my body really helps me ground myself and focus on what I can do.”

— Dayana

While it’s definitely important to keep up to date on the news, especially in these turbulent times where a lot of things are uncertain and up in the air, it’s also important to log off once in a while. Things can get very overwhelming, very quickly. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends seeking updates just once or twice a day at specific times and only from official sources, like the MOH.

Read other mental health considerations by the WHO [here].

“The issue of whatever is happening right now is our fear and anxiety of the unknown,” says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amer Siddiq bin Amer Nordin, a Consultant Psychiatrist from the University of Malaya Medical Centre on BFM’s The Bigger Picture. “Getting to grips with whatever is at present helps to ground ourselves a little bit and makes everything a bit more manageable.”

[Mind Matters: How COVID-19 Affects Youth]

Practicing mindfulness may not necessarily be limited to meditation; it could be anything that allows you to step back, acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, and helps you focus on the task at hand – like listening to music or even cleaning the house.

For Dayana, committing herself to 30 minutes of yoga everyday (she personally recommends Yoga with Adriene for her daily routine!) has given her a much needed break from the constant pang of anxiety from the daily news.

Not only that, but making sure you’re getting the sleep that you need is also very important. “Making sure that we have a good sleep routine is vital in preventing mental health situations,” Dr. Amer Siddiq adds. “And the ones that are often going to be sensitive to sleep are those of us who have a potential to develop mood disorders.”

Have a story to share? Let us know.

It’s normal to crave normalcy.

“Under the MCO, people are losing the sense of familiarity that they get from their day-to-day routine,” says Dr. Chua Sook Ning, Clinical Psychologist for RELATE on BFM’s Evening Edition. “They get some level of comfort from being able to predict their actions for the day – so it’s nice to have a weekend off, but an endless weekend at home can really lead to a sense of purposelessness.”

Dr. Chua suggests sticking to a schedule that’s both familiar and also fulfils your emotional and physical needs. Losing track of time has never been easier when you’re at home; all the hours in a day and all the days in a week melt together into one big ball of ‘meh’, leading to a loss in not only productivity, but motivation as well. Everyday, make sure to set aside time for these three things: socialising, exercising and productivity.

[How to Take Care of Yourself as the MCO is Prolonged]

If you’re working from home, setting these time boundaries could help you avoid stretching your work hours long into the day. For our writer and Morning Run producer Roshan Kanesan, keeping his daily rituals throughout the MCO has really helped with his productivity while working from home.

“Rituals have been vital to manage working from home, it helps me feel structured and more productive.”

— Roshan

“It helps me feel structured and more productive than I would have been if I simply rolled out of bed and went straight to working in my pyjamas,” he says. “Don't do that, shower first. Seriously, you'll feel way better.”

As the MCO has limited a lot of our daily face-to-face social contact, Dr. Chua stresses that it’s important, now more than ever, to connect with other people in however way that we can, be it through video calls or even just texting.

For Roshan, he’s found a simple yet wholesome way to integrate a bit of his social time with his work time. “Sometimes I’d have a friend (or friends) on FaceTime or Google Hangouts while I'm working, even if we're not actively talking,” says Roshan. “It’s quite nice just to have someone there.”

Doing good does you good.

Nobody has ever gone poor from giving – rather cliche but it can be true. Researchers have found links between acts of altruism and physiological changes in the brain linked to happiness, creating a sense of belonging and reducing feelings of isolation.

Don’t let staying at home restrict you from giving back to the community. Even on social media, you can see a rise in people, not just celebrities but the public, contributing their part in donating food and other necessities, be it for the frontliners, students who are stranded in their campus and the poor.

While there are many avenues to contribute, it helps to start somewhere that is close to you. You can venture into a lot of options such as buying food for your neighbourhood, if you know anybody who is less fortunate or are unable to travel. Check on your elderly relatives, tip your delivery riders or support an independent artist that you like.

If you’re looking to donate to community-lead efforts, check out The Lost Food Project – one of Malaysia’s leading food banks operated by volunteers. #KitaJagaKita is another movement that helps to connect people who want to help with the people who need help – they’ve got a handy list of initiatives for you to help out. If you or anyone you know are seeking aid, they site can help connect you as well.

[Help and Happiness in Times of Crisis: Malaysia]

Here’s another life hack to give back to the community without doing anything: don’t do anything. You stay at home for the frontliners, the frontliners stay at work for you. Only go out when it is necessary and always keep a safe distance. The sooner we make this a habit, the sooner we can break the chain of COVID-19. With that being said, the sooner we can all go back to our daily lives.

Reach out to the people you really care about.

In these difficult times, it’s important to check in on your loved ones. Drop them a message, or send them that short clip that you’ve been laughing at for the past hour. For Dayana, she’s taken up sending handwritten letters to her friends.

“I began writing letters to any of my Instagram friends who wanted one,” says Dayana. “I also made a list of every doctor I personally know and wrote to them to personally thank them and their families for their sacrifices.”

This critical season is important for us to take care of each other. We might have to physically distance ourselves from our loved ones but it doesn’t mean we should be emotionally away from them too. Friends and families should always check on each other. A simple “How are you feeling?” would lift up someone’s mood to feel better. If you are reaching out to others for help, look for someone that you trust and are comfortable with. They are likely to understand and will take your situation seriously.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing emotional distress following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the MCO, you can reach out through Talian Kasih at 15999 for COVID-19 counselling, or call Befrienders at 603-79568145 / e-mail sam@befrienders.org.my.

For more COVID-19-related podcasts, visit BFM.my.