Check yourself before you wreck yourself: Maintaining mental health during the pandemic

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

04.15.2020

Story by Seaman Darcy McAtee 

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)   

SAN DIEGO – Face mask — check. Hand sanitizer — check. Disinfectant — double check. Mental wellness…check?
Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are learning the importance of maintaining their mental health as concerns of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) arise.
A wealth of information has been distributed regarding the physical dangers of COVID-19 and the precautions necessary to mitigate that threat. Abe Sailors are nearly two months into the quarantine and eight duty section schedule and have adjusted quickly to the procedures and lifestyle it demands. However, the physical aspects of this pandemic are not the only thing Abe Sailors need to be conscious of.
“The mind directs the body,” said Commander Michael Baker, Abraham Lincoln’s command chaplain. “Think of that as you do the ship. Where’s the pilot house? It’s at the top of the ship. That’s where you look out and see your direction and acknowledge any obstacles in your way so you can safely steer the ship.”
Mental wellness is a personal responsibility and starts with one’s attitude and perception of what is going on in their lives.
“We need to make sure we keep things in perspective,” said Baker. “Focus on the things in your life that you have control over.”
Baker states that this can be practiced through recognizing the difference between being mindful and “mind full”. Where being mindful is acknowledging one’s situation, circumstance and oneself, having a “mind full” is focusing on the things that cause stress and are uncontrollable, utilizing mental energy towards the negative.
“A lot of what mental health care providers are talking about right now is this idea of acceptance,” said Lieutenant Grace Hamelburg, Abraham Lincoln’s Psychologist. “You really do have to look at what you can control – to the extent of choosing to stay in your pajamas all day or choosing to get dressed and maintain your routine.”
Sailors from Abraham Lincoln are in a unique situation, coming home from a long deployment to being in quarantine only a couple of short months later.
“From a mental health perspective, we don’t want Sailors to get back in that deployment mindset where they feel trapped,” said Hamelberg. “We want Sailors to realize there are mental health resources they didn’t have on deployment, including their own personal hobbies and families.”
Some of those resources can be found directly on the ship. Sailors can make an appointment to speak with the chaplains though the command religious ministries department (CRMD) email distribution or by visiting CRMD directly. They can also make an appointment to speak with Lt. Hamelberg through Medical if need be. The Public Affairs Office is sharing resources as well, through their “Mental Health Moment” post on Abraham Lincoln’s Facebook page.
Hamelber said, “This is a time for us to kind of step out of the box we put ourselves in, for mental and physical health, and to really be creative with life.”
Such creative ideas can be found in the all-hands emails sent by Terrance Ellison, the fitness director aboard Abraham Lincoln, and Kathleen Varner, Abraham Lincoln's morale, welfare and recreation chair. The emails provide a variety of fun and inventive activities and fitness plans to do at home.
The key thing to remember is that one must actively practice mental well-being.
“Mindfulness is like exercise,” said Baker. “It’s a skillset.”
Along with practice, self-awareness is also critical to achieving mindfulness. What is right for one person, may not be right for another. The time off may be used to learn a new skill, or to simply be in the present.
“It’s still ok to just take a break,” said Hamelberg. “If that’s what you need. You just have to listen to your mind, to engage with it when it needs what it needs.”
With these resources close at hand, Abraham Lincoln Sailors can practice self-care in a very real way, maintaining their mental health and continuing to be the driving force behind Abraham Lincoln’s operational mission-readiness.
As Baker said, check your pilot house before you wreck your ship.

• Date Taken: 04.15.2020
• Date Posted: 12.31.2020 21:51
• Story ID: 386322
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US