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Here Are Ways To Look After Your Mental Health During MCO

Mar 31, 2020

Image: Getty

There will be stricter regulations in place during the second phase of the Movement Control Order or MCO.

Starting tomorrow, if you decide to go out, you will have to abide by the ‘one person per car’ ruling to cut down on the number of people outside. 

There will also be shorter operating hours for eateries, markets and petrol stations, who’ll only be allowed to open from 8am to 8pm.

This means spending longer hours at home.

Speaking of which, the reduced physical interaction and face-to-face contact can take a toll on some people during the MCO.

Image: Getty

Eugene Yeo from the Malaysian Mental Health Association explains why so many of us struggle with this:

"We as humans are very social creatures, and we are connected to society.

When this is taken out of the picture, an individual can end up feeling lonely and depressed and this can lead to a myriad of other negative experiences.

For instance, one may end up being cooped up at home alone at the expense of their own health, and suffer from poor eating appetite, poor sleep, and may also feel unmotivated and unproductive.”

If you’re living in a home where you don’t have a lot of space, Eugene shared with us how you can make the most of your situation…

Image: Time

“Interact with friends and family, work out and exercise, engage in your hobbies and so on, you can also explore and discover new interests, that you may have thought of previously but never had the time to do so, for instance learning a new skill or attending online courses.”

He also suggested trying out therapy, for people to explore and understand themselves better for personal development.

As for those of us who are living with others during the MCO, Eugene says it is important for us to set boundaries when sharing our space …

Image: PreDragImages

“You should communicate and share how you’d like when you’re in your space,  if it is okay for them to talk to you or if you would prefer for them to approach you at a certain time.”

Meanwhile, some of us may be getting the hang of spending long hours at home but kids may be having a hard time adapting to their parents working from home.

Eugene has some advice on what you can do to help your kids understand your situation…

“You may need to explain to them, in a way that they can understand what you need and how they can be considerate accordingly. It is often helpful for kids to see physical boundaries for them to understand, for example using a masking tape to physically portray working space and playing space.”

And, if you’re in need of help and emotional support during the MCO, contact the 24-hour Talian Kasih hotline at 15999.