ludhiana the covid19 pandemic has severely affected the psychology of the people with health experts witnessing a rise sharp in the number of people seeking mental healthcare since the outbreak doctors and psychologists are of the view that mental well being is of utmost importance to beat the covid19 stresspsychologist dr vinay sangal said taking breaks from watching listening reading news stories including those on social media is necessary it will be best if people can disconnect from phone tv and computer screens for a whilecitybased therapist ibrahim said try to do some activities that you enjoy connect with others talk with people about your concerns and how you are feeling connect with community or faithbased organisations keep physical not social distance from others while social distancing measures are in place try connecting online or through social media phone or mail in difficult times it is normal for children to have strong reactions such as sadness irritability or confusionpsychologist tejpreet kaur said children are experiencing different type of emotions in pandemic such as sadness irritation feeling lonely so i would advice parents that they should promote regular routines and schedules or create new ones in new environment encourage children to actively listen and develop an understanding attitude create opportunities for children to play to be physically active and to relaxrashmi arora another psychiatrist said taking care of yourself can better equip you to take care of others during times of social distancing it is especially important to stay connected with your friends and family helping others cope with stress through video calls chats and mails can help you and your loved ones feel less isolated or lonelydr avneet kaur phd in human development and family studies is of the view that one should take care of hisher body by taking deep breaths besides people should try to eat healthy and well balanced meals exercise regularly get plenty of sleep and avoid excessive alcohol tobacco and substance use