Mental wellbeing is like physical wellbeing. We do so much for our physical health from eating good food to exercise to attending health screening programmes and also popping some pills and vitamins. I questioned myself today what do I do for my mental health and wellbeing. I am not talking about mental illnesses like Bipolar, schizophrenia or OCD. They need a psychiatrist just as you would need a doctor for physical illness.

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Coming back to my question, what do we do for our mental health. Even before that, I want to understand what is it that makes me sad, anxious or stressed.

The sadness I feel is especially when I am missing my family and friends. Nowadays, I simply pick up the phone and talk to my mother or a friend. My mom has learnt to some extent to pick up the sliding phones which never swiped with her fat old fingers. Now they do. She can now also do what’s app calls. It doesn’t matter to her I am in a car park or in between patients. But talking to her surely picks me up. With Covid, we are isolated in our rooms and there is no face to face meetings, so we do our coffee and lunch on virtual platforms with the same banter that we had before. Surely that gets me focussed for the next shift. Somedays thinking about my loved ones that are no more makes me very low, I have a good cry alone or with anybody that is ready to listen. A good cry is definitely therapeutic.

This feeling of impending doom is looming large with Covid. The thought of who next and what next doesn’t leave me some days. It can’t be helped I feel. It is my past that has given these anxiety issues and I think It is what it is. Cannot be removed. I can only be logical for the present. Sometimes keeping a pen and paper beside me helps, as I write my feelings and thoughts down. If it ever got worse, I think I might go for some counselling and see a therapist who can do some CBT. It is about managing my thoughts and behaviour. I bet it is not that simple.

My whole world becomes overwhelming somedays. There is cooking, reading, work deadlines, kids and husband – all of it comes together and makes me super stressed. Prioritise is my mantra then. If I can’t finish something I leave it. So be it. I try to understand the situation which brought me to it. Try and change something around me if I can.

We all have good and bad days. Good thought and acting on it works for me. Donating to charity and to food bank always makes me feel good. If I am rude to anybody through the day, I absolutely feel rubbish afterwards. I try not to be irrational because that makes me miserable. If my action makes other sad that makes me sadder. I have learnt to control my hormonal days to some extent.The only place I allow myself to be rough and rude are with my children. They need it sometimes.

I absolutely wish that we all are able to work on our mental wellbeing. Realise what we want from ouselves. Keep our needs limited. Do something this weekend to make yourselves happy and think about helping yourselves mentally.