MINDFULNESS OF WELLNESS, WELL-BEING AND BALANCED MENTAL HEALTH IN STORMS OF TRAGEDY AND CRISIS:-The conduit of wellbeing and mental healthIf mental health is the “psychological well-being and satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of life”; it is then appropriate to posit that “wellness” is the principal conduit to our well-being and mental health. In the context of prevailing circumstances finding a rational balance between our well-being and mental health is essential…Pandemic ImpactDuring these unprecedented times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we are certainly bewildered by a multitude of challenges and forced to adapt to new behavioral patterns. It is impossible to elude the notion and understanding that we live in a “Global Village”.  In fact the rapid spread of the Coronavirus commonly known as COVID-19 amplifies our interconnectedness. Working or studying remotely from home poses a series of serious mental health challenges as well as psychosocial implications of exercising physical distancing as we strive to maintain social relationships. The current pandemic has affected our health systems in such a way that some have collapsed, while others continue to be collapsing, because of immense functional pressure  and capacity overload. On the other hand, scarcity of medical professionals and shortage in care-giving staff is resulting in shutdown of logistical and operational infrastructures of health systems in many countries.Being mindful of factors of wellbeing by adhering to public health and safety regulations is of paramount importance and necessary for psychosocial behaviour during these  challenging times. This is important in terms of coping with newly enforced regulatory norms and measures such as physical distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, travel restriction, relative ban on mobility, national aerial lockdowns, extended state of emergency and panic shopping.Psychosocial factor effectsPhysical distancing is not synonymous to social distancing. The psychological effects of working from home are a component of combined pressure from anxiety, loneliness and stress. Anyone currently working or studying from home understands specifically the nature of mental health implications associated with such experience(s) on a personal level. To provide a detailed and descriptive outline of specific individual circumstances is not the purpose of this blog. Nonetheless, however challenging a particular situation or circumstance may be; it is pivotal to be mindful of all implications relative to our sense of well-being, mental health and physical wellness in these stormy times.Peer-support, Empathy and Calm for Community CohesionAt the beginning of March, the well-being team at Think Africa attempted to facilitate a series of separate and specific peer-group initiatives separately for men and women of foreign background in partnership with the Y-Care TAT project of the Helsinki YMCA and Mental Health Finland.The focus of the peer support is on providing practical tools to assist individuals in maintaining and preserving a balance between improved mental health and wellness for sustainable wellbeing. Coping Under DisruptionUnfortunately, due to the growing surge of the SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19 pandemic all peer support group activities have been postponed. However, Think Africa has resolved to continue its regular hub meetup time online. Due to the successful advancement in technology we are able to continue our engagement in a variety of human process interaction despite the disruption of physical social contacts in groups. Furthermore, because of the importance and focus we place on well-being, we have scheduled an online web training session for April 7th at 17:00 during the next Think Africa hub. This web training will focus on a participatory approach on how to cope with challenges during COVID-19. The training is intended to build on shared experiences for community support as well as serve to provide tips and guidance crisis management during these unprecedented times.If you would like to join in on this online session, please send an email  to wesseh.cucu@thinkafrica.fi with your name and include an indication of your interest to attend the online meeting and we will share a link with you.During crises and in times of tragedy, our individual emotional perseverance and  strength are stretched to limits of reaction and our ability to cope. Thus, our orthodox familiarity with ”normal” and the “usual” is being disrupted and eroded because of the continuous outbreak situation related  to the current pandemic. Anxieties and uncertainties in relation to physical distancing and the relative degree of semi-indefinite travel ban is having a tremendous toll on human lives as far as our  wellness, mental health and wellbeing are concerned.  We are relational creatures and as such our biological and physiological functions are  affected by events occurring in our immediate habitats and the extended ecosystem. The choices we make and the responsibility associated with such choices are of utmost importance in maintaining relative normality of social construct.During the storm of this Coronavirus tragedy and its inherent crisis, we should and must be mindful of our wellness, personal wellbeing and mental health by adopting the following best  practices:wake up routinely and eat breakfast as usual, and dress and make yourself up as if you are going to work or to school.go out and enjoy a jog, walk and spend quality time; interact and watch movies with spouses and immediate family members. For those living alone, have a Netflix party with friends or family.call friends, work colleagues, classmates and relativesSunset OptimismIf any positive is to be deduced from this crisis; it is that technology is shaping our “Modus Operandi”. Specifically, during this crisis, it is clear that online and/or distance learning is the new frontier of education with technology serving as the conduit and connecting vector of socialization. From a professional career and scholarship perspective, remote working and distant learning will become the innovative design for professional interaction.The pivotal issue of concern, is the uncertainty of our future and perhaps what the long term effects of this crisis will be on our mental health and our physical interactions.With our unique biological characteristics, we are prone to emotionally react differently to anxiety and stress, especially with regard to physical distancing (separation or isolation) from family, relatives, friends and/or co-workers.Fortunately, with the help of technology we are witnessing and experiencing several proactive measures in the sphere of mental health and well-being.WEATHERING THE STORM: MENTAL, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMICResearchers investigate health worker fatigue and preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemicAlong with its catastrophic effects on human health, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is also taking a massive toll on the mental and emotional well-being of front-line health care workers around the world. Longer shifts, work-life balance disruptions and fears about bringing the disease home to family members have led to an increase in stress and anxiety, physical and mental fatigue and burnout for this group of individuals. The pandemic has yielded a wave of support from medical leadership, all levels of government and the general public. However, the question remains: how can hospitals, governments and industry improve pandemic response and lessen the burden on medical professionals?Bita Kash, PhD, MBA, FACHE, professor in the Health Policy and Management department at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, along with Farzan Sasangohar, PhD, assistant professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineering department, and researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute and the Houston Methodist Hospital system, published a new paper in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia about medical provider fatigue and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The paper shares insights gathered by medical leaders and collaborating scientists at Houston Methodist Hospital regarding health care professional fatigue and burnout in the intensive care setting, including factors that may contribute to the emotional burden medical workers face, and proposes guidelines and recommendations to prepare for future pandemics and other disasters.The first factor the researchers identified were the occupational hazards health care workers face when responding to the pandemic. The rapid growth of COVID-19 nationally has exposed a lack of preparedness, limited supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and training on how to properly use it. Additionally, hospitals had difficulty testing a sufficient number of patients early in the disease outbreak, hampering efforts to slow disease spread and effectively treat patients. This lack of preparedness, increased risk for health care workers and possible poor patient outcomes increases the psychological toll on medical providers.Another factor is the scale of the national-level response to the pandemic. States have requested PPE and ventilators from the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile, but most have received only a fraction of what they requested one month into the pandemic, adding to stress and anxiety. This underwhelming response is compounded by the procedures for requesting access to the stockpile, which have been perceived as slow and cumbersome. This has led to further uncertainty on whether more PPE and ventilators will become available, and if so, when. As a result of these uncertainties, health care workers have been advised to use and reuse PPE beyond their originally recommended guidelines, which may reduce effectiveness and lead to additional stress.Inefficiencies in processes such as ordering equipment and protocols for caring for patients are another source of frustration the researchers identified. A lack of established policies for emergency management can make everyday tasks more time-consuming and increase provider workloads. Attempts to address shortfalls in protocols have shown mixed success, with training videos on PPE use not being updated to address the alternative types of equipment being used. The researchers also note a mix of patient care and PPE guidelines coming from the various subspecialty professional societies and a lack of initiative at higher levels to unify guidelines.The last factor identified is one that many outside of the medical field are also facing: financial instability. Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing have led to slowdowns of businesses, including medical visits, elective procedures and surgeries. This has caused a significant economic downturn and loss of income among the healthcare workforce through furloughs and layoffs. Uncertainties about future employment and income have long been known to be associated with anxiety and stress.With these factors identified, the authors of the paper go on to propose ways to improve readiness and resilience in the face of pandemics and other large-scale emergencies. Having plans in place for disaster management that can be quickly adopted to respond to changes on the ground are crucial, as are procedures to quickly procure adequate PPE, medical equipment and other necessary items such as cleaning supplies and disinfectants. Better communication of topics like testing and PPE availability could also help reduce health care worker anxiety and stress. Regular structured training on disaster management and response is another key strategy the researchers identified as important. They also noted a need for a reserve group of medical providers at the regional, state and national level that can be routinely trained and activated in case of an emergency. Lastly, methods for assessing worker fatigue and burnout such as mobile health tools and wearable sensors to monitor fatigue would be helpful for proactively managing workplace readiness.“The response to the COVID-19 pandemic at all levels points to a need to create, test and implement disaster management plans that bring together the strengths of individuals, industry and all levels of government,” Kash said. “Additionally, since large-scale disasters can overload responses at the national level, a local-level focus on resilience would be beneficial. Pandemics and other disasters can provide opportunities to learn, but without proper leadership, planning and resource allocation, such lessons can be lost.”However, with the recommendations listed in this study, medical leadership and government officials have additional insight into ways to improve preparedness and maintain health care workforce readiness.