Covid-19 caused by the novel coronavirus is a highly infectious disease. The virus primarily spreads through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. According to recently conducted studies the virus may be airborne. This means the virus can potentially spread through fine suspended droplets in closed air-conditioned environments that lack cross-ventilation. In such a setting you can get infected even if not in direct contact with infected individuals.
Once infected it takes 14 to 20 days to recover when the infection is not severe. However, in some cases symptoms and effects of Covid-19 continue to stay for weeks or even months beyond the initial infection. This condition is termed Long Covid and is fast becoming a cause of concern.
That said, in both cases, patients after recovery are found to be struggling with both their physical and mental wellbeing. In this blog we will focus on ways to manage your mental health after recovering from Covid-19.
Taking care of your emotional wellbeing
After the deadly second wave of covid, most of us are gripped with fear and helplessness. As a result, our mental health had suffered significantly. If you are experiencing issues that look beyond your control, you should consult a psychiatrist immediately. You can also opt for online consultation with a psychiatrist and avail quality therapy and treatment from experienced professionals.
That said, recovering from Covid-19 is an extremely stressful experience as patients have to go through severe fear and anxiety. This often impacts emotional health along with physical wellbeing. Many recovered patients have reported varying psychological impacts of infection. These include –
- Fear and concern about their individual health and that of their loved ones
- Anxiety regarding financial situation or job certainty
- Loss of support services one relies on
Some other worries faced by recovered individuals include
- Panic regarding social stigma
- Confusion
- Bad temper, anger
- Irritation, loneliness
- Denial, despair, depression, anxiety
- Insomnia
If you or your loved ones need urgent psychiatrist consultation, book an online session with a psychiatrist or a mental health professional on DocGenie.
How to cope with this stress?
Here are some things which you can do to cope with the stress, fear and anxiety:
- Avoid watching news constantly
- Interact with your friends and loved ones over audio or video calls
- Revive or develop a hobby which you enjoy doing
- Take ample rest
- Eat healthy diet
- Do light exercises
- Talk about your symptoms and mental health issues
Also read: How Yoga Practice Can Help You Deal with Anxiety
If you have just recovered from Covid-19 and are going through mental health issues consult an online counsellor and mental health expert. Such professionals can duly judge your condition and provide advice. At DocGenie, we have highly acclaimed mental health specialist doctors who will listen carefully and study your symptoms. Once they complete their psychological evaluations, they offer a course of action.
You can consult a psychiatrist after your recovery for the following issues:
- For depression, anxiety, trauma
- Worried about stress levels, or alcohol addiction
- Undergoing medications to treat a mental illness
- Experiencing suicidal thoughts
If you are experiencing severe stress levels, think of doing a stress assessment test. Additionally, you can go for an alcohol risk assessment test to ensure your alcohol intake is within limits.
Eating healthy keeps your mind healthy as well
Take note that maintaining a healthy diet is not only important for your body; it ensures a healthy mind as well. A healthy diet packed with high nutrition is critical before, during and after the infection. However, it is important to note that food or dietary supplements cannot prevent coronavirus infection. What they can do is help you build a strong immune system, which is now considered to be a critical cog in combating the virus. Ensure that your meals have a variety of foods that include sufficient intake of vital nutrients.
Here are some examples of highly nutritious foods
- Energy-rich foods like cereals (wheat, rice, maize, etc), fats/oils, sugars are good source of carbohydrates and supplies energy to your body.
- Body building foods like pulses (dals, beans, legumes), animal foods (eggs, meat, poultry, fish), milk and milk products offer protein. Proteins boost production of immune cells and synthesis of chemical compounds, hence your body’s demand for proteins increases during infection.
- Protective foods like seasonal fruits and vegetables which contain vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, minerals such as zinc, copper, iron, selenium prompts immune responses.
- Having Ayurvedic immunity promoting items like herbal tea or decoction made from tulsi, cinnamon, black pepper, dry ginger and raisins – once or twice a day – are also effective.
Some healthy eating tips
- Be careful not to skip meals. Break your daily calorie intake by taking 5-6 small meals.
- Eat whole grams and pulses, whole wheat bread, oats etc. to add fiber to your daily meals.
- Add whole channa (gram) to wheat in 4:1 ratio and mix rice with whole grams or pulses in a ratio of 1:1 to include fiber.
- Make sure that you take 4-5 servings of fresh green vegetables and fruits every day.
- Cook with olive /canola/ rice bran / soy /mustard oil. Change your oils in every 2-3 months.
- Nuts like almonds, walnuts, flax seeds are excellent sources of antioxidants.
- Take two litres of water every day
- Avoid excess salt, processed and preserved foods
- Stay away from eating out for some time after recovery
- Limit your alcohol intake and stay away from tobacco and smoking.
In general, a 2000 calorie diet plan is right for an adult individual who does not have any pre-existing disease or co-morbidities. Conditions like hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiac disease are usually termed as co-morbidities. Those having co-morbidities or underlying health issues must consult doctors, dieticians or nutritionist for diet plans.
Also read: Looking after your Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
DocGenie is an online telemedicine platform that provides you with quality healthcare from the comfort of your own space. On DocGenie, you can book an online consultation with highly-qualified doctors as well as book lab tests for home collection.