As the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread around the world, many countries put in place lockdown measures. While these public health measures slowed the movement of the virus, they had unintended effects on the mental health of people whose daily lives and routines were suddenly upended.
A recent survey by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School provides some insight into just how much people’s mental health was disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
A majority of people (80 percent) who responded to the survey were frustrated that they were not able to do activities that they enjoyed. About the same number were concerned about their health, while slightly more (90 percent) were worried about the health of a loved one.
These effects on mental health could have long-term implications for people’s well-being.
“Our survey findings indicate that the anxiety and depression related to the emotional impact of these events are pushing more and more people into the clinical category of what is diagnosable as a mental health condition,” said study author Olafur Palsson, PsyD, a professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology in the UNC School of Medicine, in a press release.
While COVID-19 lockdowns have kept people from their usual habits and routines, being forced to stay at home has also encouraged people to try activities that previously they might not have had time for.
This includes activities that have positive mental health benefits, such as yoga, mindfulness meditation, and positive psychology practices. The best part is that these can all be done at home, which is a great way to make the most of a difficult lockdown.
Mental Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is a mental and physical practice that originated in India. It involves a combination of postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), mindfulness and meditative techniques, deep relaxation, chantings (mantras), and teachings (sutras).
While many people are familiar with the physical form of yoga taught in Western yoga studios, traditional yoga is designed to promote harmony between mind and body. It also encourages people to develop greater focus.
Yoga offers physical benefits such as increased flexibility, balance, and breath capacity, but research also shows that yoga can have beneficial effects for pain-associated disability and mental health. Yoga also offers other mental health benefits, such as easing depression and relieving stress.
Mindfulness Meditation and Mental Health
Mindfulness is not about relaxing or achieving a particular state — although relaxation is often a byproduct of mindfulness meditation. Instead, mindfulness is about being aware of what is happening moment to moment, without judgment.
Mindfulness can be developed through many activities, including yoga, tai chi, and qigong. But it is often taught through mindfulness meditation, a practice that is based in Buddhism. During mindfulness meditation, you learn to focus your attention and awareness in one direction, such as on your breath, the sensations of your feet while walking, or even the thoughts rising up in your mind.
This is a simplified view of mindfulness meditation. In fact, there are many different variations, including Tibetan and Zen Buddhist styles, as well as the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. Each has its own approach and tools, but the end goal is the same — greater focus.
Research shows that mindfulness meditation offers a number of mental health benefits, such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression — all things which have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness meditation may also be beneficial for people with chronic pain and addictions.
Benefits of Positive Psychology Practices
Positive psychology is the study of the positive aspects of mental health, such as happiness, well-being, hope, optimism, and gratitude. This is in contrast to other fields of psychology which focus on mental illness. Martin Seligman, one of the pioneers of positive psychology, describes it as “the scientific study of optimal human functioning that aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.”
The goal of positive psychology practices (or interventions) is to increase positivity in people’s everyday life. In turn, this may help them deal more easily with negative events and moods that they might experience, many of which are out of their control. Some researchers break positive psychology practices into several categories, such as:
- Savoring
- Gratitude
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Optimism
- Strengths
- Meaning
Each category has different practices that can be done. For example, gratitude is often developed by keeping a gratitude journal, in which you regularly write down things that you are grateful for. Savoring can be developed by pausing during the day to really savor where you are, what you are doing, and whom you are with (there’s a bit of mindfulness to this one).
Research shows that these practices offer a number of mental health benefits. A meta-analysis of 51 positive psychology interventions found that these practices enhanced well-being and weakened depressive symptoms. Another meta-analysis of 39 positive psychology studies found similar results.
Conclusion
Activities like yoga, mindfulness meditation, and positive psychology practices offer many mental health benefits. These activities can be done any time, but are especially beneficial during stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, they are not intended to treat mental illness, although they may be useful alongside psychological counseling. If you have anxiety, depression, or another mental illness — especially if it is severe enough to disrupt your daily activities — seek help from a mental health professional.
