MHM Magazine

20 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | Issue 3 | 2021 MHM THE MENTAL HEALTH WAVE OF COVID-19 Covid-19 has managed to grab the attention of all people across the globe. The unwelcome fast paced pandemic has seemingly brought about a ‘new normal’. This change in our daily lives has left a vast number of people feeling unsettled, worried, confused and frustrated. People have had to change the way they work, the way they interact with others, the way they shop, the way children go to school, what we safety precautions we wear, our limited movement and how to exist in a state of lockdown with unwanted but essential restrictions. An ‘unseen wave’ comes with this pandemic and this wave is the mental and emotional struggles that people have. This wave has certainly not yet peaked in terms of severity. What we have seen is an increase in a need for psychotherapy and psychiatry to help with the increase in mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and substance abuse to name a few.  HOW HAVE CHILDREN BEEN AFFECTED BY COVID-19? Children thrive on predictability, structure and routine. They also rely heavily on adults around them for guidance and containment during childhood. These elements have all been challenged and changed at the start and throughout this pandemic. Covid-19 certainly made the ‘world’ a scary and unsafe place. The covid-19 virus has taken the form of a big scary monster for many children who are left feeling afraid and helpless during all of these changes. All of a sudden adults are seemingly scared, Mom’s and dads are working from home, schools shut and go online, cessation of all after school activities, serious national family meetings are being held weekly, the news reports of daily infections and deaths , everyone is asked to stay indoors By Candice Cowen Clinical Psychologist Johannesburg combrinckcandice@gmail.com HOW TO MINIMISE STRESS AND ANXIETY IN CHILDREN DURING COVID-19