From anxious loneliness to meditation: a mental health self-care strategy to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic

Mental health self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study in Australia

INTRODUCTION

Pandemic public health measures have affected mental health for many people. We sought to determine how people were managing their mental health concerns during the pandemic, and to identify worker characteristics where actions were more common.

METHODS

A prospective cohort of 1646 Australians, who were in paid employment prior to the pandemic, completed a survey during 27 April- 26 July 2020 on changes in work, health, and actions taken to manage their mental health concerns. Descriptive statistics were calculated to determine actions taken to manage mental health concerns during the prior month, such as lifestyle changes, exercise, use of online resources, and talking to others. Regression models identify worker characteristics where actions were more common.

RESULTS

Lifestyle changes were the most frequently reported action to manage mental health concerns (78%), and were more common for women (OR = 2.33, 95%CI=[1.82, 3.03]), and people experiencing recent work loss (OR = 1.54, 95%CI=[1.04, 2.28]). Overall, mental health self-care was more common for people experiencing psychological distress, or with pre-existing mental conditions. Talking to friends about mental health, and making changes to diet and exercise, was more common for women and those aged 18-24 years. Psychological distress was a significant indicator for consulting with health professionals.

CONCLUSION

Actions to manage mental health concerns during the pandemic were common, as were conversations with friends or family members. During economic crises, support and services should focus on reducing barriers to formal mental health care, particularly for people who less commonly seek help, and those experiencing moderate to high levels of psychological distress.

Online mindfulness training for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial using a multi-method assessment approach

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically accelerated the need for studies examining the effectiveness of programs to bolster psychological well-being, particularly for at-risk groups, such as older adults (OAs). Mindfulness Training (MT) has been suggested as a well-suited program for this purpose. The present study examined the impact of a 4-week online, trainer-led MT course tailored for OAs during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Fifty-three OAs were randomly assigned to either Group A or Group B. Group A received the online MT course during the 4-week interval between the first (T1) and second (T2) testing sessions, while Group B received the same MT course during the interval between T2 and the third testing session (T3). The testing sessions included measures of mindfulness, emotional well-being, psychological health, and cognitive performance. In addition, a very brief survey was sent every week during the T1-T2 and T2-T3 intervals to assess weekly emotional well-being.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that MT may improve some, albeit not all, aspects of mindfulness and well-being, while no significant results were noted for outcomes measuring psychological health and cognitive performance.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are discussed in the context of the evolving COVID-19 situation.

Health and Mindfulness during the Syndemic of SARS-CoV-2: An Ethnographic Study

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has caused physical and mental health problems for a large part of the population. In this context, the practice of mindfulness has become relevant due to its usefulness in channeling and mitigating these problems. The objective of this article is to know the implications of the practice of mindfulness in physical and mental health in this syndemic period throh the perception of its practitioners. To achieve this purpose, we conducted an ethnographic study with fieldwork in three mindfulness training and practice groups. The techniques used were participant observation, open interview and survey. Participant observation was carried out from October 2019 to November 2021. A total of 22 open interviews were conducted. In addition, 44 surveys were carried out on a total population of 54. From the first sessions, 45.5% stated that they had felt beneficial effects on their health, and 100% perceived benefits in different aspects of their mental and physical health. The techniques perceived as most effective were those that focused on the body and emotions. The usefulness of mindfulness in managing the problems derived from the syndemic was unquestionable for 95.4%. In addition, a strong correlation is observed between the time spent practicing mindfulness and the reduction in the impact of the syndemic on the health of the practitioners.

'Rapid Counseling' with single-session therapy for patients with COVID-19: An alternative treatment before doing mental health self-care strategy with meditation

The author suggests that mental health experts provide 'rapid counseling' as psychological help for individuals who need counseling in this COVID-19 outbreak, as one of the steps to be taken to get rid of this national and global crisis, in particular for patients with COVID-19.