OUR MENTAL HEALTH IN 2021

With a new year, we think about how we can optimize ourselves in a number of ways. Although many think about fitness, there is also a need to focus on our mental health. We took some time to chat with Dr. Desreen N. Dudley, PsyD. She is a mental health quality consultant and clinical psychologist at Teladoc. We wanted to find out how we can manage our Mental Health in general and even moreso due to a number of events that we have been living in from social justice, the pandemic, an insane election period and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We utilize a lot of terms within the wellness space from mental health, anxiety, self-care – can you define these terms as a baseline?

DR. DESREEN N. DUDLEY, PSYD: Mental health refers to one’s emotional and psychological well-being. Anxiety refers to worry, nervousness, or feeling of doom about a future event and/or a situation in which the outcome is uncertain, often considered uncontrolled worry. Self-care refers to engaging in activities aimed at improving or promoting one’s health and whole being, including physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. In my role at Teladoc, I help people address their mental health and anxiety concerns and encourage them to engage in self-care – especially at times like these.

AM: How important is it to be aware of mental health and to manage it?

DR. DND PSYD: It is extremely important for all of us to have mental health awareness; that is, understanding that mental health is important by talking openly about what is needed in order to take care of it, and accepting the state of one’s mental health (in other words, understanding what aspects of one’s mental health is good, and what areas may need improvement). Without an awareness of mental health, one will have difficulty understanding what is needed in order to manage it. Managing mental health is easier than ever now with telemedicine, which enables people to take care of their mental health from the convenience of their home. Teladoc allows parents to care for their own mental well-being – and the overall health of their family – while at home with school-age children who may be remote learning. The danger of not managing mental health appropriately is that poor management is reflected in poor coping strategies and self-destructive behaviors, which place a person at risk for chronic medical conditions due to poor lifestyle choices, or overall decline in functioning.

AM: What would you suggest are the basic things people need in order to have good mental health?

DR. DND PSYD: 1. Talking about your feelings, instead of stuffing or ignoring them.

2. Take care of your physical well-being! Get good sleep, eat healthy, and fit in physical activity regularly. Physical activity alone has been shown to have positive impacts on depressed mood.

3. Stay connected with family, friends, and loved ones. Social isolation and withdrawal exacerbate depression, and people feel more fulfilled when they feel connected to others.

4. Avoid excessive consumption of news and social media, which can increase general levels of stress due to focus on things outside one’s control.

5. Seek help in the form of therapy. Engaging in mental health treatment, such as through telemedicine, IS taking care of your mental health, and can offer ways to challenge negative patterns of thinking and behaviors and learn to replace them with more adaptive ways. Of course, telehealth also offers the benefit of being done in the comfort of your own home, and on your own time.

6. Help others. Doing so increases sense of gratitude, appreciation, and sense of worth.

7. Do things that are enjoyable to you. If you are struggling to find something of interest, research something new.

AM: What are the signs when you or someone you may know is struggling with mental health?

DR. DND PSYD:  While an evaluation with a licensed mental health professional is the best way to know if someone is struggling with a mental health condition, there are some signs that can be indicative of this. Mental health of yourself and your loved ones should be a top priority. It’s important to get yourself – or someone you know – help right away – without worries of health coverage. Teladoc, for example, provides mental health services to individuals regardless of insurance.

1. Change in one’s typical mood (a generally content person becoming sad or irritable most to all of the time)

2. Odd or bizarre unusual behavior, such as suspiciousness, irritability and argumentativeness

3. Problems with cognition, including concentrating, poor focus and difficulty staying on task, lack of attention, forgetting

4. Disruption in sleep pattern and changes in appetite, increase or decrease

5. Social withdrawal- disconnecting from family or friends, loss of interest in activities typically enjoyed

6. Decline in functioning- decreased performance at work, dropping grades in school, not tending to daily activities one usually manages well

AM: In times like navigating a pandemic, the election and the continued activities around this, the fight for social justice and then the issues that people have personally – how much harder is it for those that are struggling with mental health and are feeling overwhelmed?

DR. DND PSYD: What I’ve seen is that those who have been struggling to manage mental health prior to these world-wide traumatic events -- the pandemic, presidential election of 2020, and racial tensions and the fight for social justice -- have indeed shown an increase in negative mood symptoms. But the pandemic will have lasting effects on everyone. Telehealth and virtual care are great ways to manage mental health, the pandemic, and everything else that happened in 2020. At Teladoc, we’ve seen many people seeking counseling and therapy as a form of self-care. The mandate for social distancing, while necessary for health, has been a major struggle for those with depression, given that staying socially connected and not isolating at home has been the main recommendation to combat depression. Financial stress, witnessing mass deaths and the loss of loved ones due to COVID-19, and overall uncertainty about the future has been emotionally traumatic for many of us. The fight for social justice has triggered reminders of personal experiences with social injustice. What I’ve seen is that the social justice movement has empowered some, giving voice to those who have felt helpless in their personal experiences. 

AM: Many of us have been staying at home from working, starting or maintaining our businesses, not being able to interact with people in person, what’s a great way to create a sense of a schedule while also bringing in people that we are not bubbling with?

DR. DND PSYD: This pandemic and the call for physical distancing have really drawn attention to the power of technology – all ages and generations of people have been moved to learn to use it! A great way to stay connected to others is through social media, joining virtual community groups which may allow for making new connections. While working from home, it is crucial for adults to create and maintain a schedule similar to what they had when working in office. Ending work at a reasonable time is key, so that social and enjoyable activities can be scheduled into the routine.

AM: For many, they have been quarantining with a significant other and they have been with that person for constant interaction, what is the healthy way that they can share highs and lows together and to be able to engage one another without feeling fatigued?

DR. DND PSYD: Instead of focusing on frustration with social isolation from others, couples can take the opportunity to strengthen their bond. Explore and engage in new activities with each other, communicate more to stay connected, including sharing joys, aspirations and fears. Couples quarantining should have a routine in place that supports and helps each other carve out time for self-care and avoid fatigue. Couples with children can really strengthen their relationship by functioning even more so as a well-orchestrated team, giving each other “breaks” and taking turns when it comes to child care duties.

AM: How does the holiday season add another layer to potential mental health issues?

DR. DND PSYD: Holidays tend to trigger increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms for those who struggle with mental health, as I’ve seen it often is a time of year that triggers reminders of loss or absences of loved ones -- and it increases sadness. The pandemic and call to be physically distant from close family and friends during the holidays have created stress for all of us, regardless of pre-existing mental health issues. At a time when we all are even more aware of mortality -- and that our loved ones may not survive if afflicted with COVID-19 -- it has been stressful to not do what is the natural inclination, which is to spend as much time as possible with our loved ones.

AM: Is it important to be able to “step away” and take time for yourself even though you may be within the same area and around the same person?

DR. DND PSYD: Yes, I believe so. Staying connected to others in a healthy way is possible when one feels they also have time to themselves to reflect. Couples and families quarantining together should seek to strike a balance – find activities to do with each other, and also schedule time to keep for yourself. Within families, this can help parents feel that they are getting a break, especially with most young children remote learning while parents are working.

AM: Seasonal Affective Disorder is something that a number of people navigate even during a normal year, how is this impacted further as we continue to ride out staying in to lower the curve?

DR. DND PSYD: Seasonal affective disorder impacts many during this time of year. I see increased depressive symptoms as the daytime hours decrease, and a sign of increased depression is social withdrawal. While the recommendation for patients who struggle with seasonal affective patterns of depression is to avoid social isolation by going outside the home, spending time with friends or family or engaging in a social activity, the need to physically distance to stay safe really presents a barrier. Sometimes people just really need to talk to another person or hear an outside perspective. One recommendation could be to use telemedicine to talk to a licensed clinical psychologist from their own homes.

AM: Can you tell me about Blue Monday which is on Jan 18th. Why is this a day of note and what can be done to alleviate this?

DR. DND PSYD: Blue Monday, which is the 3rd Monday of January, has been referred to as such based on the theory that many people struggle with overwhelming self-disappointment that they are not accomplishing or not making progress on their New Year’s resolutions. Common resolutions include to start actively working out, improving money management, maybe abstaining from a guilty pleasure or alcohol or other substances. I think this day reflects expectations that may have either been too lofty or have unrealistic timeframes. Ways to manage this may be to set more realistic timeframes toward New Year’s resolutions that change expectations of what should be accomplished three weeks after the new year. Also, given that we would have all survived the first year of a pandemic, perhaps that should be the celebration of January 2021 -- focus on gratitude for making it through a very challenging and traumatic year.

AM: How can we maintain positive mental health as we continue through this time and eventually begin the transition as vaccines become more available?

DR. DND PSYD: 1. Practice self-care: Engage in regular physical activity, even as simple as taking a walk. This can be done with another while physically distant.

2. Telemedicine is here to stay. In fact, telephone and video visits for mental health are as effective as in-person treatment. I encourage people to use telemedicine as a convenient option to care for their own mental health needs -- as well as their family’s health needs – at a moment’s notice. Telehealth covers everything from the everyday illness to specialty concerns, including dermatology.

3. Limit exposure to news and social media, if needed. While informational, these can be major trigger of heightened stress.

4. Maintain a regular routine, but be flexible and anticipate that changes may occur. Have back up activities that you may be able to do if there are changes to your expected schedule.

5. Talk to someone you trust about your feelings, either mental health professional or confidant. Don’t stuff emotions, releasing them increases your ability to manage them.