ALPENA — Staying healthy amid a virus outbreak includes taking care of your mental health.

Area counselors and mental health professionals encourage people to take measures to help safeguard against depression and anxiety, which are likely to increase as the crisis continues. Counselors are offering telehealth services — a secure, confidential video chat option, as well as counseling by phone.

Calls to mental health and suicide prevention hotlines have spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic began, The Washington Post reports.

Social isolation may be best for our physical health, to avoid contracting illness, but it takes a toll on our mental health. Staying connected with each other via phone, FaceTime or Skype is vital to mental health and emotional wellness, experts say.

“Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. If you are feeling afraid, sad or lonely, those feelings are normal, given the circumstances,” said Cami Misiak, nurse manager of behavioral health services at MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena, via email. “If your emotions become unmanageable and lead to loss of sleep, nonstop worry, and depression, we are here to help.”

MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena’s Behavioral Health Services offers care via telephone and virtual visits. Access to local resources within communities is key to maintaining strong mental health, according to Misiak.

“Human beings are, by nature, social creatures. Many of us are facing isolation and loneliness because the necessary precaution to keep everyone safe has required stringent separation,” Misiak said.

Now more than ever, supporting one other in any way possible is essential. Calling, texting or emailing family, friends and neighbors, or sending an encouraging card or letter can have a huge impact. Video chatting with children, friends or joining groups online can help one feel connected, and benefits everyone involved.

“Loneliness can affect your physical and mental health, so it is important to reach out if you need the support of a friend or loved one,” added Misiak. “Don’t wait for someone to call you. It’s okay to be proactive and let someone know you are lonely and need to make a connection.”

During this time of constant uncertainty, it can be difficult to find a sense of security and joy. Taking charge of what is controllable becomes paramount for overall mental health and well-being, Misiak added.

Amy Will is a Christian counselor and owner of Abundant Life Christian Guidance. She offers telehealth and phone counseling. She has some suggestions for staying mentally healthy during these trying times.

“It’s extremely important to stick to a routine,” she said. “That can really help our mental health.”

Establishing new routines helps maintain a sense of stability.

Will said it may be comfortable, but lounging around in your pajamas does not motivate you to be productive or active, which are important right now.

“Don’t stay in your PJ’s all day,” she said. “I would suggest that you get dressed for the social life you want, not the one you currently have.”

As a Christian counselor, she suggests reading the Gospels in the New Testament to learn about and focus on “the hope of Christ.”

Exercise is an important part of mental health as well. She said getting outside and moving around decreases the stress hormone cortisol while increasing dopamine and serotonin, which are the “feel-good” endorphins in our bodies.

Will recommends reaching out to others daily, and finding out if we can help our neighbors, especially the elderly who may need groceries or assistance.

She added that parents and adults need to set a good example for children by limiting their time on social media and the time spent immersing themselves in news and rumors about coronavirus. She said children pick up on the tension and anxiety coming from adults.

“Especially in young children,” Will said. “It really strikes fear in them and that’s not something we need to be doing.”

Will recommends talking to a trusted friend or family member if you are struggling, but sometimes people need help beyond what friends can offer.

“If you are feeling super depressed and you feel like you need help, you should seek professional guidance,” Will said.

For an appointment, call Will at 989-590-7449. Visit Abundant Life Christian Guidance on Facebook for inspirational messages and videos, and more information.

MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena’s Behavioral Health Services offers the following tips in these days of social distancing:

¯ Limit your exposure to the news.

¯ If you’re not using the latest technology, ask someone to walk you through it remotely.

¯ Watch videos online: crafting how-to’s, virtual tours of zoos and museums, Broadway shows and more.

¯ Try a new hobby or pick up an old one you now have time for.

¯ Keep your mind sharp by doing puzzles, crosswords and playing card games.

¯ Go for a walk and look for signs of spring, keeping six feet from others.

¯ Call a family member and reminisce about good times; you have more time to enjoy and appreciate stories from your parents and grandparents.

¯ Remember that you have gotten through tough times in the past, and you will again.

“Our behavioral health services program is going to be a critical component of health care services available to members of our community as this pandemic draws closer to home,” said Misiak. “We want residents to know that we are here and will be here as long as we are able.”

According to an article by clinical psychological scientists at the University of Washington’s Center for the Science of Social Connection, COVID-19 could lead to an epidemic of clinical depression. The Associated Press shared the article, written by Jonathan Kanter and Katherine Manbeck from the University of Washington.

“We do not wish to be the bearers of bad news,” Kanter and Manbeck write. “But this crisis, and our response to it, will have psychological consequences. Individuals, families and communities need to do what they can to prepare for a depression epidemic. Policymakers need to consider — and fund — a large-scale response to this coming crisis.”

The isolation and lack of social interaction, combined with the stymied economy, provide “a perfect storm of depression risks,” the University of Washington researchers state.

“Depression lays waste to our capacity to problem-solve, set and achieve goals and function effectively,” the researchers say. “The unique environmental stressors of the COVID-19 crisis suggest that an unusually large proportion of the population may develop depression. Exacerbating the widespread stress of this crisis, many of us are suffering significant personal losses and grief reactions, which are robust predictors of depression.”

Prolonged social isolation presents more problems.

“Our bodies are not designed to handle social deprivation for long,” Kanter and Manbeck note. “Past studies suggest that people forced to ‘shelter in place’ will experience more depression. Those living alone and lacking social opportunities are at risk. Loneliness breeds depression. Families, who must navigate unusual amounts of time together in confined spaces, may experience more conflict, also increasing risk.”

Financial stressors will be severe, they predict.

“Research on past recessions suggests that rising unemployment and financial insecurity lead to increased rates of depression and suicide.”

The burden will fall harder on the middle and lower classes.

“When the stock market crashed in 2008, the rich experienced large wealth losses but not increased rates of depression,” the University of Washington psychologists state. “In contrast, those who experience unemployment, debt and financial deprivation during recessions are at significant risk for depression due to increased stress and difficult life circumstances.”

Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health is one of the keys to a successful recovery.

“How we talk about depression must change,” Kanter and Manbeck state. “The distress we feel is a normal human response to a severe crisis. Acknowledging and accepting these feelings prevents distress from turning into disorder.”

Lifestyles Editor Darby Hinkley can be reached at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@thealpenanews.com.

Mental Health Resources

¯ MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena’s Behavioral Health Services: 989-356-7242, M-F 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. COVID-19 info hotline: 1-800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600.

¯ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

¯ Disaster Distress helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text “talkWithUs” to 66746, visit www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.

¯ Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health: 989-356-2161.

¯ 2-1-1 Northeast Michigan.