"We have decided to extend the PSBB in Jakarta," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said in an online press conference at the City Hall, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

This means that fighting the coronavirus pandemic would require more time for everybody to stay at home, including doing activities such as working, learning, and praying from home. With the additional time self-isolating at home, and the added economic pressure, it is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared, or angry during these trying times.

In light of this, here are some tips from the World Health Organization (WHO) that can help you in coping with those COVID-19 blues.

1. Talk to your friends

Understand that you are not alone. Everyone is going through self-isolation and the added economic pressure; some might even have it tougher than you. You can confide in your closest friends and family members; making sure that they are well emotionally and physically, as they go through the pandemic. You need it, and who knows, they may need it too.

In addition, talking to your friends can give a semblance of an active social life. You can dress up the way you would previously when talking to your friends through an online video call. Furthermore, you can plan on all the fun activities and the places you would want to travel to after the pandemic is over with your friends; keeping your hopes up for an end to the pandemic.

2. Maintain a healthy lifedata-style

With a nationwide appeal for physical distancing, and some regions applying social restriction; it is in everybody’s interest to stay at home. However, this results in a completely new routine you might not be familiar with previously. If this sounds familiar to you; make sure you adopt a healthy lifedata-style along with your new routine.

Exercising regularly, maintaining a nutritious and well-balanced diet, and sleeping well are some of the things you need to make sure of in your healthy stay at home lifedata-style. In addition, you can also use this opportunity to exercise together with your family, helping to relieve the stress all around.

3. Deal with your emotions

First, acknowledge your feelings if you do feel stressed, as each person emotionally deals with the pandemic differently. As such, do not undermine your feelings by comparing it to people around you. Once you have acknowledged your feelings, you can now look for constructive help. Do not resort to smoking, drinking or other unhealthy ways of dealing with it.

Instead, you can consult professionals for your mental health. Gather information on where and how you can access professional help, should the need suddenly arise. In Jakarta, you can contact the Health Service ‘Sahabat Jiwa’ program, through their official website https://sahabatjiwa-dinkes.jakarta.go.id/

4. Get your facts straight

With as much information circulating around you right now, you might feel overwhelmed. However, it is important to understand that not all that information is accurate. The endless rows of messages and health tips you find in your family’s WhatsApp group, are unlikely to all be true.

As a result, rather than spending your time and attention on information that might not at all be true, you need to get your facts straight. Find trustable sources such as credible media, the WHO website or, state public health information portal, to gather your information from. As such, you can now take reasonable precautions in relation to the pandemic.

5. More positivity

Now that you have filtered your sources of information to trustable ones, you would still need to limit your and your family’s worry and agitation about the pandemic by responsibly lessening the time you spend on the news with a negative or upsetting tone. Although it is incredibly important to be updated accurately in order to make a calculated decision, you also need to balance it with a healthy dose of positive and uplifting news.

You can look for and share stories about a patient’s recovery or donation efforts happening across the globe. You might be pleasantly surprised at how the whole world is uniting together to fight the pandemic.

6. Reflect back on your experiences

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic is one that is unprecedented. Grinding the world to a halt, the outbreak in Indonesia has put many in uncomfortable situations. However, this is surely not the first time you have dealt with life’s adversities. Although it might be different in scale, you can nevertheless reflect on moments such as your first heartbreak, or the first time you lived away from your parents; we all have our stories and ways to deal with our emotions.

Recall the things you did to cheer you up or to relieve your stress; one way or the other, it might just be applicable right now. In addition, you can also add to your stress-relieving repertoire by trying new things, such as meditation or frequent video calls.

DIO SUHENDA | WHO