What do mental health experts do to ‘keep sane’ in these uncertain times? Mumbai-based therapists tell us

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A few days ago, at around midnight, psychiatrist Dr Shefali Batra received an urgent request for a session from a long-time patient who was suffering a panic attack. Her entire family had tested positive. "She was breaking down because her sister's little child was now under her care and she was catastrophising (assuming the worst will happen)," explains Batra. The mental health expert had to see her online right away. She finds it important to be on-call and available for those who need her. "While one is battling the virus, the other is fighting the anxiety and assumed worrisome consequences. I must do what I can to help. So I have been flexible," she says.

Like Batra, most therapists have been stretching their days and conducting sessions online or over the telephone since the pandemic hit in 2020. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report estimates that 7.5 percent of Indians suffer from some sort of mental disorder. It further states that India has just 0.3 psychiatrists, and 0.07 psychologists, per 1,00,000 people. Given the brutal second wave of the pandemic and news of a highly burdened healthcare system in the country, many are mentally and emotionally overwhelmed. While mental health professionals are helping people deal with this, how are they taking care of their mental well-being?

With May being the month of Mental Health Awareness, Mid-Day.com spoke to four experts about how they are keeping sane while addressing mental health issues of others.

Dr Shefali Batra, psychiatrist and founder of Mindframes: "Being in a profession where you are consistently and constantly empathising with people who are battling stress, sadness, loss, anxiety and depression; it affects you deeply. In my case I'd say the overall experience has been a surge in mindfulness.
Apart from regular exercise and meditation, I have learned new skills. I've mastered the art of baking breads, making homemade jams and fruit roll ups, writing from the heart, and sharing it with friends, family and patients. I also believe that charity begins at home. So to my fellow mental health professionals it is important that you watch your own physical and psychological health. A wave of depression, anxiety, and stress is yet to surge and we need to be prepared for this."

Dr Pavan Sonar, psychiatrist and psychotherapist: "Since the pandemic started I have this mixed feeling of helplessness, overwhelm and burnout. I am trying my best to help out as many people as I can, but this pandemic does take a toll on mental health professionals like me. To cope with it, I try and follow a schedule where I dedicate a fixed number of hours to my family and my hobbies. During the initial lockdown, I also made it a point to exercise regularly. My request to fellow professionals is that please make sure that you take care of your own mental health and then only you would be able to serve your patients and the community.

When I do sometimes feel overwhelmed because of work or any other reason, I find solace in music. I mostly listen to Hindi songs, especially Kishore Kumar songs - they are an instant mood-changer for me. I also find Jagjit Singh ghazals to be very soothing."

Dr Nahid Dave, psychiatrist: "Both my parents are general physicians and husband is an eye surgeon, so they are going to work every day. They have to treat Covid-19 patients on a regular basis. That does create a sense of uneasiness in me.

Recently, I spoke to a 20-year-old who has lost both her parents in the past month and then there was another patient who had attended a virtual funeral and was traumatised, and kept getting flashbacks of the last rites. So, when you keep hearing these incidents of grief on a daily basis, there are times during the day when even I start thinking that, ‘Oh! Nothing good is happening' or ‘Are we ever going to have a normal life?'. Those times I have be mindful that I'm jumping the gun. I bring back my focus to the present.

Talking to colleagues who are mental health professionals helps me cope. I also avoid watching news videos or the ones circulated on WhatsApp. My source of information is the news apps, which I read once a day. That's a rule I have made for myself. I also make sure I am mindful about my eating habits. Watching TV shows like ‘Friends' and ‘How I Met Your Mother' also helps me."

Kanchan Rai, mental and emotional wellbeing coach, and founder of LetUsTalk: "The pandemic has made me more vulnerable as a person. I myself was affected by Covid-19 so I have experienced that trauma personally. I have been meditating regularly to take care of my mental health. I also dedicate enough time to myself to cope with the overwhelming feeling, whenever I experience it. Cooking is an activity which helps me calm down. Recently, I have even started dancing - salsa to be specific. Dance really helps me bring back my focus."

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