By Dimithri Wijesinghe
With the resurgence of the pandemic in the form of a second wave and the effects getting progressively more severe, the looming uncertainty has instilled a feeling of hopelessness amongst the general public.
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SMKYA Co-Founder/Head Coach Samaakhya Gajanayake[/caption]
Once again, there has come a time where we must remind ourselves to not only take care of our physical wellbeing but also our mental health.
While everyone and anyone is understandably affected by the new developments – i.e. the spike in Covid-19 patients – there are those whom are especially vulnerable to the stresses that come with it.
Speaking to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) senior consultant psychiatrist Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe about the mental stresses likely to affect those of us during these turbulent times, she shared: “There are negatives and positives to this new wave we are experiencing. The negatives being that because we have experienced this once before and many have seen that there were only 13 deaths – persons who were having previous complications to begin with – it is likely that the public may take things lightly this time around, but what they may not realise is that the virus has the potential to change and become a different beast.”
However, she said, on a positive note: “The fact that we have already once lived through it brings forth a number of positives, the major one being that we have lived through it – we have seen what we must do and that when we do it, we can overcome it.”
Talking about the importance of mental health at these times, Dr. Ranasinghe shared: “There are many parties whom are under extreme stress right now; if you consider those in the tourism and export-import industries, they are under a lot of strain not being able to rely on their trade and livelihood. And since the lockdown, due to its effects on the economy, there have been many budget cuts and employees have been let go, which puts a lot of strain on the remaining employees as well; whereas a job that took 20 people to do would now be done by five people, thus putting them under a lot of pressure.”
She especially pointed out that young adults are particularly susceptible to stress, especially students preparing for Advanced Level (A/L) examinations and such other exams that are important milestones in their lives.
“Students sitting exams are especially vulnerable considering they have had to play the waiting game; the uncertainty can be extremely stressful and the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicted that there will be a 20% spike in suicide rates globally, primarily due to those who need mental health services not having access to it and also because early detection is compromised.
“This is because loved ones and family, who often detect the mental state of a suicidal person and thereby aid in preventing it, are less likely to be attuned to the needs of those in distress due to being preoccupied with maintaining their physical health and also securing daily meals and getting by.”
However, she did point out that there are things to look forward to if you are at all concerned about walking into an exam hall whilst fearing that there is really no escape form this pandemic’s effects.
“There are some positives for students taking exams as they are expected to show up for the exams. Sri Lanka recently had an election and while it was predicted that following the election there would be a spike in cases, there were no such reports and so we have a great case study proving that if you are to follow what the health authorities say and follow the guidelines, then you can avoid being at risk,” she said.
Considering that students sitting exams are likely to be under a lot of stress during this time, we reached out to SMKYA Co-Founder/Head Coach Samaakhya Gajanayake, known for her motivation routines online and her fitness brand SMKYA, for some advice for the youths, especially those preparing for the A/L examinations.
Here’s what Samaakhya had to say: “Preparing for exams during a pandemic sounds like a proper nightmare! But why not make these strange times work for you? Here are my top tips on how to make the best of this unusual situation.”
SMKYA Co-Founder/Head Coach Samaakhya Gajanayake[/caption]
Once again, there has come a time where we must remind ourselves to not only take care of our physical wellbeing but also our mental health.
While everyone and anyone is understandably affected by the new developments – i.e. the spike in Covid-19 patients – there are those whom are especially vulnerable to the stresses that come with it.
Speaking to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) senior consultant psychiatrist Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe about the mental stresses likely to affect those of us during these turbulent times, she shared: “There are negatives and positives to this new wave we are experiencing. The negatives being that because we have experienced this once before and many have seen that there were only 13 deaths – persons who were having previous complications to begin with – it is likely that the public may take things lightly this time around, but what they may not realise is that the virus has the potential to change and become a different beast.”
However, she said, on a positive note: “The fact that we have already once lived through it brings forth a number of positives, the major one being that we have lived through it – we have seen what we must do and that when we do it, we can overcome it.”
Talking about the importance of mental health at these times, Dr. Ranasinghe shared: “There are many parties whom are under extreme stress right now; if you consider those in the tourism and export-import industries, they are under a lot of strain not being able to rely on their trade and livelihood. And since the lockdown, due to its effects on the economy, there have been many budget cuts and employees have been let go, which puts a lot of strain on the remaining employees as well; whereas a job that took 20 people to do would now be done by five people, thus putting them under a lot of pressure.”
She especially pointed out that young adults are particularly susceptible to stress, especially students preparing for Advanced Level (A/L) examinations and such other exams that are important milestones in their lives.
“Students sitting exams are especially vulnerable considering they have had to play the waiting game; the uncertainty can be extremely stressful and the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicted that there will be a 20% spike in suicide rates globally, primarily due to those who need mental health services not having access to it and also because early detection is compromised.
“This is because loved ones and family, who often detect the mental state of a suicidal person and thereby aid in preventing it, are less likely to be attuned to the needs of those in distress due to being preoccupied with maintaining their physical health and also securing daily meals and getting by.”
However, she did point out that there are things to look forward to if you are at all concerned about walking into an exam hall whilst fearing that there is really no escape form this pandemic’s effects.
“There are some positives for students taking exams as they are expected to show up for the exams. Sri Lanka recently had an election and while it was predicted that following the election there would be a spike in cases, there were no such reports and so we have a great case study proving that if you are to follow what the health authorities say and follow the guidelines, then you can avoid being at risk,” she said.
Considering that students sitting exams are likely to be under a lot of stress during this time, we reached out to SMKYA Co-Founder/Head Coach Samaakhya Gajanayake, known for her motivation routines online and her fitness brand SMKYA, for some advice for the youths, especially those preparing for the A/L examinations.
Here’s what Samaakhya had to say: “Preparing for exams during a pandemic sounds like a proper nightmare! But why not make these strange times work for you? Here are my top tips on how to make the best of this unusual situation.”
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