Good morning Hank, it's Tuesday
So it has not been a great week here. I loved your video on Friday
It gave me comfort and context, and I have so much to be grateful for, but because of
my anxiety problems and OCD, I just don't have a brain that's like particularly well
suited to disease pandemics. I mean, I guess no one does, but yeah, I'm just having a hard time
For help, I have virtual therapy and medication, but the thing I found most helpful this week
was actually mental health tips shared by partners in health, informed by the experiences
of people who've lived and worked amid big disease outbreaks. PIH really values partnership, like enough to put it in their name, because in global
health, like so much else, everyone needs to learn from everyone. I mean, during the Ebola outbreak, community health workers in Liberia became experts in
contact tracing, mental health providers in Sierra Leone have worked with people who had
to self-isolate to prevent disease. We have a lot to learn from these people
And so in the PIH model, all around the world, colleagues learn from colleagues, and then
use that knowledge to serve patients and the public. And these 10 mental health tips from PIH's head of mental health, Dr. Beppe Raviola
came from a wide variety of experience of living with social distance
And so on some level, this is advice from people who've been there. First, social distancing does not mean emotional distancing
Use technology to connect. I think this is especially important because so many people are going through big traumas
serious illness, losses of jobs, losses of every kind imaginable. And in those experiences, it's easy to isolate
For many of us, me included, that's dangerous. So social distance cannot mean emotional isolation
For me that means lots of FaceTime and phone calls. Two, keep clear routines and schedules 7 days a week, but don't go overboard
Yeah, this is really hard for me. Like, I need routine, but kind of by definition routines take some time to establish, so I'm
trying to be patient with myself. Third, exercise and physical activity daily if possible
When I am sad or scared, I have an overwhelming desire not to exercise, but if I can bring
myself to exercise, I always feel better. Four, learning and intellectual engagement
Books, reading, limited internet. For me this mostly means books, essays, and watching highly intellectual marble racing
on YouTube. Fifth, positive family time working to counter negativity. My kids are so good at countering negativity, I just need to learn from them
Sixth, alone time. Outside if possible, but inside is okay too. Yeah, so my only alone time at the moment is my daily bath, which I am so grateful for
Seventh, focused meditation and relaxation. I think for me that's taking a bath
Eighth, bathe daily if possible. Slightly off topic, but I'm keeping a gratitude journal, and like 80% of the ink goes to baths
Ninth, remember the things that you really enjoy doing that you can do in this situation
and find a way to do them. So this is a big struggle for me and many of my friends
I have friends who love their jobs but now don't have that job or can't do it in
the way they love. A lot of what I like about being a person is not easily replicated in a time of social
distance, but there are things I love that I can still do, and focusing on them does
bring me joy. For instance, I like rewatching the movie Penguins of Madagascar because it is the greatest
achievement in cinematic history, and I like reading, and I like the taste of the one Diet
Dr. Pepper I drink per day, and so on. Lastly, limit exposure to TV and internet news
Use small windows and then find ways to cleanse yourself of it
This really resonates with me, because I have an obsessive thinking disorder, and too much
time spent with the news does not make me better informed, it makes me panicked, which
makes it harder for me to be the things I need to be right now, a father, a friend
a concerned citizen, and so on. Remembering that is key to my personal mental health
I keep a list of these ten tips, I will link to them in the dooblydoo, and when I am scared or overwhelmed, I look at it and I think, what on this list could I do
It's not a magical cure, but it is helping me, and I hope it might help you too
Hank, I'll see you on Friday