Has The Pandemic Put You Through 'Social Pain'?

Ways to cope with social pain in a COVID-19 world

Feelings of social pain can be intolerable and while it may not be seen or felt, it is real and should not be dismissed. It helps to seek out to a loved one or professional help in the form of therapy for those who may feel they are unable to cope.

However, if you or a loved one feels that you may be going through this, here are some ways to help you get through.

Accept that the pain is real

Accepting that social pain is as real as physical pain helps you to connect with your feelings instead of dismissing it. Know that there is nothing wrong with that. Identifying that one may be going through something and may need help is the first step towards healing.

Avoiding to thinking about the social situation

Though this is easier said than done, focus on the happy memories. A good sleep and rest, listening to music, hugging loved ones and pets, a warm shower or bath, meditation, sweet smells from a scented candle can all heighten and elevate the mood.

Find a hobby or distraction

Watch TV or movies, read books, cook, get into fitness or exercise regime- this can all help overcome the void and keep one occupied. Learn the many courses available online, sign up for a new skill, learn baking or gardening. Practice yoga. There are so many things to do. Find the thing that brings out the best in you.

Try new forms of technology to communicate

Thanks to technology, communication has become more personal over the years. Email, phone calls, video-based calls, such as Zoom and FaceTime can all help to keep you connected with friends and family. Keep a tab on your loved ones and make sure you help each other cope with these distressing times by staying connected and looking out. Or just reach out to your neighbour over the window and say hi every now and then.

However, if feelings of social pain persist for over a few weeks, it is best to reach out to a mental health professional.

Spread the love

Running through the weekdays meeting deadlines, and taking up work calls attending meetings is a tiresome limbo. Such an extensive routine often pushes sleep at bay. The sleep depravity thus not only affects our brain but also the nervous system as well. Sleep and mental health are closely connected. Thus, sleep depravity is most likely to cause insomnia and other sleep disorders.

Why do we need quality sleep

A perfect amount of sleep helps the brain store new information and eliminate toxic waste. According to Brain plasticity theory sleep is required for the brain to make structural changes such as organizing memories, clearing out, and replenishing brain chemicals . It also clears out waste toxins from the brain.

Research suggests that eight hours of sleep for human beings can produce a daily energy savings of 35% over complete wakefulness.

Improves brain activity

It also helps the body to repair cells, and release hormones and proteins. Not only this, but Sleep also allows us to reduce caloric needs by spending part of our time functioning at a lower metabolism.

For emotional wellbeing

Sleep is equally important for emotional well-being. The brain activity increases during sleep thereby, supporting healthy brain function and emotional well-being and healthy brain function.

Controls body weight

Surprisingly, Sleep plays an important role in determining the body weight of an individual. Sleep controls the hunger hormones called ghrelin which increases the appetite and leptin which increases the feeling of being full post-eating. Thus, during sleep the amount of ghrelin decrease resulting in weight control. Sleep depravity for consecutive 3-4 days can put you at the risk of obesity,type-2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Sleep can be understood as fulfilling many different functions but intuition suggests there is one essential function. The discovery of this function will open an important door to the understanding of biological processes
-Allen Rechtechafen

Sleep disorders and related metal illnesses

Our sleep and mental health are interconnected. Sleep depravity often suggests impending mental illness. Here are a few mental illnesses listed below that emerge out of poor sleep quotient.

Depression an sleep disorder

There is a definite link between lack of sleep and depression. The inability to sleep or oversleeping is a key sign of clinical depression. Depression is a mood disorder that produces anxiety, sadness, stress, etc. Thus a lack of sleep heavily affects the mood.

Schizophrenia and sleep disorder

Disrupted sleep appears to be closely tied to sleep depravity. Schizophrenia is closely related to disrupted sleep patterns. A person with this mental disorder perceives reality abnormally such

Sleep disorder may cause following problems to people with Schizophernia

Circadian rhythm problem

Not getting enough sleep

Waking up frequently during sleep

Sleep apnea.

Bipolar Disorder and sleep disorder

Sleep disturbance is a core symptom in bipolar disorder. A person with this mental disorder experiences disruptive sleep patterns. This bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings that involve emotional highs and lows.

How to improve sleep disorders?

A healthy sleep pattern is just as important as a healthy diet or routine physical exercise. Here are a few ways to improve your disrupted sleep pattern.

Bright light exposure during daytime: Exposing yourself to bright sunlight during the day keeps your circadian rhythm healthy. The circadian rhythm keeps a biological clock that sends signals to the body when it is time to sleep. According to reports exposure to sunlight improved sleep quality in people with insomnia.

Restrict gadgets using time: Using gadgets such as phones, laptops and tv keep your body exposed to the blue light. Exposure to blue light disrupts the circadian rhythm that keeps you up late at night. Thus, it is advisable to restrict the use of gadgets until late at night.

Here are a few methods to reduce nighttime blue light exposure.

Wear glasses that block blue light exposure

Use time blocking method to reduce gadget usage during the night

Turn off any bright light or phone 2 hours prior to dozing off.

Do not consume coffee late during the day: As the night approaches, melatonin starts to increase, a hormone that helps your body relax. However, even a single dose of caffeine can boost your energy and reduce melatonin.

In one study consuming caffeine 6 hours before going to bed worsened the sleep quality.

Caffeine remains active in your blood for at least 6-8 hours affecting your sleeping patterns. However, you can calm your coffee craving with decaffinated coffee.

Avoid long daytime naps: It is normal to take a nap during the daytime. But taking long time daytime naps can affect the quality at night. A study shows that taking a nap 30 min or lesser can enhance brain activity.

Take a melatonin supplement: Melatonin is a hormone that tells your body to relax and go to bed. Thus, it is a key hormone in ensuring perfect sleep at night.

A study shows that 2mg of melatonin helps you sleep faster and wake up with more energy the next day.

It is important to have a healthy sleep pattern that syncs with your circadian rhythm. A disrupted sleep pattern not only affects your physical stamina but also slows down your mental activity during the day. Not only this it may also develop various mental disorders.

Thus, it is advisable to fix your sleep routine with the help of the above-mentioned method.

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