Resilience: Mental Health amidst Global Pandemic

“Eat nutritious foods! Have a balanced diet! Get a good night sleep!” We have all known to take
good care of our bodies since grade school. But how about our mental health, isn’t mental health just as
important as physical health?

Mental health is a term that refers to an individual’s psychological, emotional, behavioral, and
social well-being – how an individual thinks, feels, acts, relates to others, makes choices, and handles
stress. The term is also sometimes used to denote the absence of mental illness.  Being mentally healthy is
one of the most important things in life – it contributes to happiness, resiliency, and capability of handling
adversities in all its forms.

Keeping a good mental health when everything is normal is always a challenge. But a battle
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic triggers a dramatic impact on the global
community, on people’s lives and health, livelihoods, economies, and behaviors. It happened in the blink
of an eye. Suddenly, a virus had made its home in the body of more that hundreds, thousands, and if not
millions of people in different parts of the world.

The COVID-19 public health crisis has led to a spike in known risk factors for mental health
conditions, including everything from social isolation to unemployment to overall feelings of insecurity
and instability. With the chaotic news about world’s health situation, health protocols and measures,
social distancing, community quarantines and lockdowns- we now separate ourselves from the other parts
of society. We are disconnected with our confidants. This has allowed our mind to go to the dark side,
where our stress, fears, anxieties, and depression come out. “How long will our life be on pause?” We are
terrified of how long we will be stuck in our home and cannot live the normal lives. Will it be couple of
weeks, months, or even years? Nobody knows!

COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects our mental health. Fear, worry, and stress were faced
with uncertainty. According to Wykes (2020) most public surveys link COVID-19 to increased symptoms
of depression, anxiety, and stress. Panic buying, binge-watching TV, and other unhealthy behaviors have
been reported. Increased social media use, ups the odds of anxiety and combined depression. Quarantine
contributes to stress and anger and may also prompt behaviors such as online gambling. People with pre-
existing mental health conditions and disorders are also especially sensitive to quarantine, physical
distancing, food availability, and general disruption of their routine.

In addition, it is unequivocal that the COVID-19 health crisis brought significant stress, anxiety,
and various mental health related problems. It shows a major increase in the number of individuals who
report symptoms of depression during the pandemic, compared with studies before the pandemic.COVID-
19 has halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental
health is increasing. (WHO, 2020). The survey of 130 countries provides the first global data showing the
devastating impact of the crisis on access to mental health services.

Nevertheless, as the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects our mental health, there is a positive
impact on the way we should consider mental health and how healthcare systems must be improved and
given value.

The impact of COVID-19 will reverberate for many years. This pandemic became our eye opener
and has revealed significant weaknesses in our health care system, from public health preparedness to the
structure of our medical facilities and the need for long-term rehabilitation. A logical approach to a
pandemic with lessons learned from the past can provide guidance.
 Mental health services play a vital role in coping with these challenges. The mental health agenda
remains critical, essential, and should be one of the cornerstones of resilience in a society that will face a
puzzling array of trials as a consequence of this global pandemic.