May is mental health month and although we only have a few days left into the month, I wanted to share the importance of exercise for our mental health, because it is important everyday! As well as an interview with an ER doctor working at the epicenter of COVID-19 and how my 8-week workout program helped her to feel stronger both mentally and physically.

What is mental health?

To start, the term “mental health” refers to our cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. It is all about how we think, feel, and behave. I also want to note that just because you may have poor mental health, that does not mean you have a mental illness. It is subject that some people do not want to talk about because they are afraid of what people may think and that can leave so many feeling alone and unsure of what to do.

Unfortunately, in our lifetime we will all face many challenges that will somehow negatively impact our mental health—one example that is affecting all of us right now is— COVID-19. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, nearly half of Americans have reported that the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health in some way. Depression and anxiety are on the rise and sadly, the outlets that we once used to turn to are currently unavailable.

Exercise to Improve Mental Health

There are many things that we can do to improve our mental health and in times like these, it is so important to find those interventions. The one that I am going to emphasis is —Exercise! Exercise is something that we have control of even during this quarantine when so much else is out of our control. We all know that exercise is great for us physically, but did you know that it is beneficial in dealing with things like anxiety and depression? Evidence suggests that exercise is often a neglected intervention in mental health care and I hope that we can begin to change this!

Interview with Dr. Mimi Syed—

Dr. Mimi Syed, medical and trauma director at Summit Pacific Medical Center, board-certified emergency medicine physician living in Greater Seattle area.

What did a typical day look like for you?

We were sent to multiple sites in Queens, NY which was the epicenter. One of the sites was a 475- bed field hospital with 22 of them being ICU. I worked as the lead physician on the rapid response team on nights which essentially served to identify and treat those patients that were critically ill. I was there for the peak of the pandemic where we had almost 1000 deaths in a 24 hour period in the city. It was a high stress work environment. Some sites ran out of space to put the deceased so we were using refrigerated trucks that stood in the parking lot 24/7. Sometimes we just held the hand of dying patients or googled prayers for their religion so we could recite for them in their last moments. Emotionally we were all drained and physically exhausted from working long hours with full PPE (personal protective equipment) on.

How did it affect your family?

Being the mom of 2 small children (4 and 2 years old ) it was a tough decision to leave them. Luckily, I have an incredibly supportive husband who took care of them while I was gone. We facetimed any chance I got (which was not much). They are still so young, I don’t think they quite understood what was going on even though we tried our best to talk to them about it. My oldest still asks if I am going back to NYC when I go to work in the morning. My husband and I have discussed whether I will do this again if needed in the future and if I am able I plan on it. I was glad for the overall experience and that I could help the people who needed it the most.

How did my 8 week at home workout program help you?

“It is so helpful to just open my laptop to follow the workouts and it takes the thought process out of it for me which saves time. I also get bored easily and the variety in these workouts keeps me engaged. ”

— Dr. Mimi Syed

Normally I workout 5-6 times a week and eat well. In the past few months the demands of my job and then the need in NYC put my workouts on the back burner. It is challenging to even think of doing a workout after 18 hours in full PPE and on your feet. You also tend to grab whatever you can to eat for convenience. After returning home I found that I had lost a lot muscle even though I did not gain much weight. I felt unhealthy and deconditioned and needed something to get me back on track. I enrolled in your 8 week program and the first week I already felt stronger and more confident. It is so helpful to just open my laptop to follow the workouts and it takes the thought process out of it for me which saves time. I also get bored easily and the variety in these workouts keeps me engaged. I am currently in the 5th week and feel so much stronger and capable.

As healthcare workers we forget to take care of ourselves sometimes and mental health is just as important as physical health. Being physically fit keeps me mentally well. Especially in our current times when there is so much uncertainty. Being mindful of our emotional health is key. It also allows me to be the best physician I can to my patients as well as mother and wife to my family.

I am so grateful that Dr. Mimi Syed shared her story and is back home with her family after helping all of those in need during the height of the pandemic. Remember that in times like these, it is especially important to take care of ourselves and if we are ever in need of help to reach out to a friend, family member or professional!