Breaktime Helps Mental Health During Pandemic

JAKARTA - Giving a break or break time can be done by someone to ease the burden on the mind and reduce potential mental health problems during this pandemic.

"Working from home has blurred our timeline for resting and returning to work. It is very important to be able to allocate sufficient time for ourselves to rest and recharge," clinical psychologist from the Angsamerah Institution who graduated from the University of Indonesia, Inez Kristanti was quoted as saying by Antara, Friday, 16 July.

According to Inez, the body can give a signal that the condition is already feeling tired and tired. But if ignored it will trigger stress.

"Break time doesn't have to take a long time, it's important that it's dedicated to rest," explained Inez.

Inez said that the form of time lag for each person could be different. Some people can release stress by exercising, cooking, watching movies or chatting with loved ones. Although the shape of the time lag can vary for each person, the most important thing is the quality, not the quantity.

"Because it's useless no matter how much time we have but we don't use it optimally. The body can lie down, but the brain continues to work, it's just a lie," concluded Inez.

For those who are already in pairs, time lag can be an alternative to doing different activities than usual. In addition to releasing each other's stress, this time lag can also re-glue a couple's relationship which can become strained due to their busy schedules during WFH.

"Just chatting from heart to heart, cooking and eating together, or watching movies. Simple but meaningful things," said Inez.

Meanwhile, for those who already have children, it is better to pay attention to the emotional needs of children, not just physical, such as eating and personal hygiene. Inez explained that even though they are still young, children also have feelings and can feel pressured or stressed.

"Teach children to recognize their feelings. If children can be invited to communicate, try asking how they feel, chatting while playing with children. This seems trivial but this is the time lag for children," explained Inez.

But if the child cannot be invited to communicate, try to spend time playing with the child. Instead of holding and paying attention to the device, Inez said to try to pay attention to the child's expression while talking to him while playing.