Home Business Tips for Dealing with Depression
The effects of the COVID-19-induced pandemic have been debilitating and far-reaching for people and businesses everywhere. It can be debilitating for those who do own home businesses.
The pandemic has changed the entire dynamic of how most businesses operate, with many companies requiring employees to work from home. The changes have had a profound effect on home business owners, since many businesses they deal with have drastically reduced workforce and spending in order to survive. Many home businesses have lost customers, which has in turn reduced their revenue. This revenue loss can potentially force these home businesses to cease operations.
The prospect of losing one’s home business due to circumstances beyond one’s control—especially if you worked tirelessly for years to build it up—can be devastating. That in turn may cause anxiety, or in severe cases, cause depression to set in. And if you were already anxious or depressed, the possibility of pending gloom and doom for your business may just compound the problem.
“We’ve had a lot of people calling, because unfortunately for our patients who already have anxiety, this pandemic has ramped up their symptoms even more,” said Dr. Cannon Clifton, co-founder of Houston-based Kalypso Wellness Centers. “There was an article earlier this week that said depression has increased by 30 percent already.”
If this describes you, how do you cope? Here is a list of DO’s for managing your anxiety or depression while quarantined and trying to keep your home business afloat:
- DO utilize technology. Call, text, or video conference with friends or family. In other words, practice “physical distancing” instead of social distancing—thus allowing a depressed or anxious person to stay connected with loved ones without the fear of spreading COVID-19. “We need to stay apart from each other, but at the same time we can stay connected,” Clifton said. “We have many avenues of technology to do that.”
- DO make the effort to contact someone you know who might be suffering from anxiety or depression. “FaceTime them and let them know, hey, we’re thinking about you,” Cannon urged. “Give them support, because social isolation can be extremely painful for those patients.”
- DO exercise. Yoga and meditation can help relieve the symptoms of anxiety or depression, or just walking around outside can do the trick. “Get outside, go for walks around the neighborhood, and get some fresh air, as long as you stay six feet away from others,” said Dr. Scott Worrich, co-founder of Kalypso Wellness Centers.
- DO avoid drinking alcohol. Since alcohol is a depressant, it can only make your depression and anxiety worse.
- DO contact someone if you are thinking of harming yourself. Do not wait if you find yourself in this position. Call 1-800-273-8255 for help.
And for good measure, here is a list of DON’Ts if being confined to your home made your depression or anxiety worse:
- DON’T dwell on negative thoughts. They will only exacerbate the problem. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
- DON’T be in denial that you are depressed or anxious. As cliché as it sounds, remember that the first step on the road to recovery is admitting that there is a problem.
- DON’T stop eating healthy. Your food choices should be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Poor eating habits could result in several other health issues while you are quarantined.
There will still be resources to assist during the pandemic even when you can’t leave the house. During the period of time for which they are unable to treat patients in person, the doctors at Kalypso Wellness Centers are using the time to more actively monitor their social media channels and responding more to inquiries from patients and potential patients through those channels.
And when the pandemic has subsided and everyone is free to leave their homes and return to the outside world, DO seek advanced treatment if your symptoms have worsened. Patients who have received Kalypso Wellness Centers’ proprietary Kalypso KetamineⓇ infusions, which provide relief by “re-setting” the patient’s neural pathways. Some patients experience relief within 24 hours.
“Some patients who unfortunately have what we call active suicidal ideation, within 24 hours they’ll call us back and say ‘Wow, Doc, I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Clifton said. “‘All I could think about was killing myself, and now I want to start living my life.’ They want to start working at their job better, or being a better husband, wife, student or whatever it may be. We anticipate this will be one of many treatments that may be very beneficial for lots of these patients once we can get through this quarantine phase.”
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to go through your anxiety and depression alone. As Dr. Bryan Clifton, co-founder of Kalypso Wellness Centers put it, “We need to come together and support each other during this tough time and get through this together.”
And if you can get help for your anxiety or depression now, the sooner your home business can get back to business as usual.
Kalypso Wellness Centers
(800) RESET-20
https://www.kalypsowellness.com/
