Having to stay indoors because of the poor air quality can have an impact on mental health. KYW's Hadas Kuznits joins us live with insight into what some people are experiencing and how to cope with all of this.

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All this talk of pollution and climate change can cause people to have anxiety about the  state of the world. And now, with experts advising us to stay indoors, we are prevented from a common practice that can help improve our mental health: simply going outside to clear our heads in nature.

Counselor Mark Sigmund from Retreat Behavioral Health says the anxiety stems from the story we tell ourselves about the world.

"Really what's going on is what we call a cognitive distortion. Basically, somebody is doing what we call 'catastrophizing.' And that's when you blow it up in your head and you think the worst possible outcome."

He says. though, that being concerned about the worst possible outcome is kind of understandable, right now.

"People have just gone through this huge traumatizing event of getting through a pandemic, and they start to kind of associate the two."

So how does he watch the issue?

"We spend a lot of time talking about the old saying 'One day at a time,' you know, present-centeredness. It's not always easy to do, but it's trying to use your senses to ground yourself in the moment."

And while Sigmund says it is true that the hazardous air quality is preventing people from safely going outside right now, he reminds people that that won't always be the case.

(Image credit: Hadas Kuznits/KYW Newsradio)

Having to stay indoors because of the poor air quality can have an impact on mental health. KYW's Hadas Kuznits joins us live with insight into what some people are experiencing and how to cope with all of this.
###
All this talk of pollution and climate change can cause people to have anxiety about the  state of the world. And now, with experts advising us to stay indoors, we are prevented from a common practice that can help improve our mental health: simply going outside to clear our heads in nature.
Counselor Mark Sigmund from Retreat Behavioral Health says the anxiety stems from the story we tell ourselves about the world.
"Really what's going on is what we call a cognitive distortion. Basically, somebody is doing what we call 'catastrophizing.' And that's when you blow it up in your head and you think the worst possible outcome."
He says. though, that being concerned about the worst possible outcome is kind of understandable, right now.
"People have just gone through this huge traumatizing event of getting through a pandemic, and they start to kind of associate the two."
So how does he watch the issue?
"We spend a lot of time talking about the old saying 'One day at a time,' you know, present-centeredness. It's not always easy to do, but it's trying to use your senses to ground yourself in the moment."
And while Sigmund says it is true that the hazardous air quality is preventing people from safely going outside right now, he reminds people that that won't always be the case.
(Image credit: Hadas Kuznits/KYW Newsradio)

The latest news around the Philadelphia region from KYW Newsradio.
 
 
 

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