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Feeling blue? There are ways to boost mental health amid the pandemic

Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus - 11/5/2020

Nov. 5--After a long, hot summer that fell well short on the fun meter and a fall that felt more like a continued quarantine from summer, real darkness settled into the region with the end of daylight saving time last weekend. Of course, it was already getting dark out earlier than it had been.

It all makes for an interesting and potentially very blue winter, especially amid the COVID-19 challenge.

"We have to continue to be vigilant and do self care," said Denise Beenk, chief operating officer at Vera French Community Mental Health in Davenport where she is also a licensed therapist. "2020 has not been an easy year for anyone given the state of things. With COVID-19, the weather has been all over with the derecho, and it's going to get darker now.

"We typically see people get kind of depressed during the winter months. So we want to continue to be vigilant and carve out time for ourselves each day to do things that keep us healthy."

Joe Lilly, director of outpatient behavioral health at the Robert Young Mental Health Center in Moline agrees it has not been an easy time -- for anyone.

"COVID has been a challenge for everybody across the nation," he said. "Trying to find ways to cope and keep everyone holding the line has been top priority for a lot of people. The biggest thing for us is we want to make sure we are focusing on our regular wellness and activities of daily living."

Since May of this year, we have seen an increase in the demand for mental health service, he said.

"I think people tried so hard to stay isolated and do the right thing by COVID-19 to try and not spread the virus. But there was so much build-up in addition to all the stress on people. There have been financial challenges. People have lost their employment. They have been more socially isolated. All those things contribute to the perfect storm for things not going so well for our wellness and mental health."

There are many ways to fight the blues.

"Exercise is extremely important," Lilly said. "Studies show that 30 minutes of low to moderate exercise help boost our mood and our serotonin levels as well. It helps boost our mood and helps us feel better and helps with our total wellness"

But any change in season can present challenges, he said. For the workers at Vera French, spring can sometimes be the busiest season, Beenk said, largely because people battled through the winter and now see that they must get help.

Lilly sees it, too. Any change in season can present challenges, he said.

"When you start to see the change of seasons, especially when you are going through a pandemic like we are, we have certainly seen an increase in people seeking services for the first time with us. Whether it be mental health or substance abuse."

"We know the suicide rate has gone up," Beenk said. "We know that substance abuse has gone up. So heading into winter in Iowa we are very concerned that people won't reach out and get the help that they need. And we do have a lot of resources in our region. We have a regional crisis line. Our agency, Vera French, provides a same day access line where you can walk in and get a mental health evaluation Monday through Friday."

Lilly notes that Robert Young offers that, too, And both offer mobile crisis units. Robert Young also offers various tele-services and video services. It's also connected to 12 emergency departments in the Quad-Cities.

"We want people to use the resources and feel supported," Beenk said, and realize that you can have a bad week, but that it's best to seek help.

"We want people to reach out and get that help that we can prevent things from happening on the front end instead of dealing with a crisis months down the road."

Fight the winter and COVID-19 blues.

11 ways to fight the winter/COVID-19 blues:

1: Eat properly

2: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

3: Get some fresh air, even when it's cold out.

4: Talk to people.

5: Stay engaged, use virtual platforms if you must.

6: Take some deep breaths in and slowly exhale.

7: Keep a gratitude journal.

8: Challenge negative thoughts when you get them.

9: Get enough sleep.

10: Be especially careful with alcohol use.

11: Stay attuned to how you are functioning.

Source: Vera French Mental Health and Robert Young Mental Health services.

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