An occupational health expert has advised people against worrying in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking on a radio programme ‘Protecting your mental health in COVID-19 Pandemic era’, Dr Abiye Alamena said people could be concerned but should not get worried over coronavirus pandemic.
He said getting worried could produce negative energy.
Dr Alamena said: “People should be concerned but then we can turn all of that concern into positive energy. We should avoid worrying over things. Worrying is like that rocking chair, you rock but it does not take you in any direction”.
He said a lot had changed because of coronavirus pandemic but advised people to adapt to the change so that they could go through the period.
Dr Alamena, an occupational health physician, advised people to be resilient so they could cope in the period of the pandemic.
Change is really something that is part of life so what we try to tell people is to develop some resilience and accept things we have no control over, he said.
The occupational health physician said people should not be anxious in the present situation and stay positive in the midst of the coronavirus challenge.
He said: “It’s all about resilience. It’s all about bouncing back from adversity. Right now, Covid-19 is outside our control and although we could be concerned, we shouldn’t get worried”.
The health expert however advised people to do the things they could do within the period including avoiding handshakes, washing hands and observing social distancing.
He said when people worry over things outside their control they create negative energy around them.
The occupational health physician said: “If the office says I can’t come to work today because of Covid-19, whether I’m anxious about it from now till tomorrow it is outside my control so I only create anxiety and negative energy around me when I stay worrying about things outside my control”.
He said people should avoid worrying in the midst of the coronavirus challenge and look for things that would give them hope.
He said people could get into a mental health challenge as a result of changes brought on by the coronavirus without knowing it but would be obvious to people outside.
He said if people would do proper self-appraisal they would be able to know if they were facing any mental health challenge as result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The health expert advised people not to get tensed or become easily irritated under the coronavirus challenge.
He also said people should not feel frustrated because of the situation.
He said people should still sleep well, eat well and hold conversations with their friends despite the coronavirus challenge.
The occupational health physician said though there would be pressure as result of the coronavirus pandemic people should still be able to cope.
