The year 2020 brought attention to mental wellness across the continent of Africa and around the globe due to the pandemic COVID-19. Aside from exacerbating mental illnesses among patients with a history of mental health conditions, the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 can also precipitate mental illnesses in individuals without any previous history. Unlike economies that were able to provide social safety nets for citizens during and beyond lockdown, Africans in most countries had to deal with the effects of the pandemic with little or no social support, putting them at risk of conditions including anxiety and depression.
Mental health stigma is still very much rooted in many African countries and here at the Africa Healing Foundation we want to work collaboratively with the communities and other organisations to help end the stigma. Our objective is to drive mental health campaigns so we can raise awareness, so that people feel safe to have these conversations. The key is early prevention and intervention, and our health promotion strategy aims to do just that.
Stigma takes many forms in communities in Africa often involving extreme prejudice and discrimination. People with mental illness suffer from the effects of their condition. However, the suffering is made much worse through the attitudes and prejudices of people around them and the larger community, where the community stigmatises their suffering and extends their prejudice to not only the person who is suffering but such prejudice may be extended to the whole family.
The prejudice towards people with mental illness in Africa can take extreme forms, affecting multiple aspects of the person’s life, including the very nature of their selfhood. In such instances, the person may be accused of witchcraft, they may be denied marriage opportunities, and the explanations for their behaviour may extend to all areas of their lives and in some instances lead to a process of exclusion.Some of the common mental health conditions that can develop during the pandemic are anxiety, panic attack, depression and risk of suicide. It is important to be aware of what you are feeling and seek help if you feel that you are struggling with your mental health.
Fortunately there are simple things you can do to improve your mental health to prevent developing severe mental health problems whilst on lockdown. Despite ongoing uncertainty of the situation, take small steps every day to address your emotional needs.
1. Get Physically Active: Research clearly shows that physical activity is a vital component of good mental health. Consider how you can still get exercise right now, and incorporate it into your daily routine. This can be done by taking walks, jogging, skipping, body weight exercises etc.
2. Schedule time to worry: It may sound counterintuitive to schedule time for worry. After all, you may think you are already worrying too much about the state of affairs.
But research shows that scheduling time to worry can be an effective way to contain it to a limited time period. Rather than worry all day long, you might find you can contain anxious thoughts to only 15 minutes.
3. Maintain Social Connections: Even when you can’t physically be around people, you can still remain connected to friends, family, and community. You can use social media for online forums, attend online church and events, schedule regular video chat, text friends and family etc.
4. Keep the Big Picture in Mind: Although things may feel really stressful right now, the pandemic won’t last forever. So try to keep the big picture in mind.
5. Be Selective About Your Media Consumption: While it’s important to stay informed, consuming constant content about the coronavirus can keep you in a heightened state of distress. The media continuously reports on new cases of the virus and talks about death tolls which can greatly affect your psychological well-being.
6. Focus on the Things You Can Control: There are many things outside of your control during a pandemic. And thinking about all of these things won’t do any good.
7. Practice Healthy Coping Skills:You may not have access to many of the coping techniques that typically help you handle stress—like going to the gym or having coffee with a friend. So it’s important to think about the healthy coping skills you’ll use when you’re hit with moments of overwhelming anxiety or you begin to feel sad.
8. How to Find Support: If you’re experiencing a decline in mental health that has you concerned, or your strategies aren’t working to improve your mood, then seek support.
You might call your physician to explain what you’re going through. You may also reach out to a local mental health professional and initiatives in your community. But keep in mind some of them may be limiting their face-to-face contact with patients at this time.
You can also try online therapy and this will also be available soon via our app at the Africa Healing Foundation. You will be talking to a licensed mental health professional via phone, video chat, or messaging. This could help improve your mental health and reduce your stress at a time when social distancing is encouraged.
We have a lot of work to do as an organisation to provide holistic quality accessible healthcare. We need people to get involved to support our initiative. There are different ways you can support us by donating here or contact us if you would like to volunteer.
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