Pandemic

Running head: REFLECTION 1

REFLECTION 4

Reflection

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Personal reflection paper

There are various health/mental behavior that has affected people either directly or indirectly. However, the covid-19 pandemic is the most common health problem that has disrupted people’s lives. The first outbreak of this pandemic was reported in 2019. Since then, many people have died from the disease while others have lost their precious jobs as organizations are looking to implement safety measures to curb the spread of the covid-19 virus. 

However, among all the measures recommended to deal with the spread of covid-19, wearing masks has raised mixed reactions from the public. While the majority of the people chose to put on masks as a form of protection, others are not convinced about the effectiveness of wearing masks in protecting themselves against the virus. Various reasons have made some people in society reject the use of masks in fighting covid-19. First, some people believe that masks have not been effective in dealing with the spread of this pandemic. Despite wearing masks since the onset of the pandemic, covid-19 has been spreading across the globe. Therefore, some people believe that vaccines offer more protection than masks. Due to this reason, some people have been avoiding masks at all.

On the other hand, religious beliefs have also been a contributing factor to this trend. Christians in some countries have an undying belief in divine protection. Thus, the majority of them have been avoiding the use of masks on the basis that GOD is in control and would protect them from this deadly virus. However, such beliefs have been endangering the lives of such believers given the nature of the disease. Covid-19 is highly contagious and most people have died as a result of this ignorance. Furthermore, psychological reactance (PR) is another factor that has made people avoid using masks. Most people usually want freedom and to live their lives as they wish. To some people, masks have been limiting people from talking freely and also interacting with their colleagues. The youths in particular have a PR attitude on wearing masks as they wish to freely interact with their peers without masks.

I believe that people still have the chance to change their health and mental behavior. However, to achieve this goal, both the internal and external environments of the people must be changed. To change the internal behavior of people, motivation and capability can help to influence the behavior change. The majority of the people usually lose morale when they get sick or when a pandemic strikes. The effects of sickness or pandemics usually result in depression, stress, and anxiety. Thereafter, people develop a negative attitude towards medication and hence, stop following the medical advice or guidelines. Therefore, people need to be motivated and given the assurance that their conditions are only for the short term. Health care providers need to motivate their patients to follow all the medical procedures and prescriptions in the hope that they will get better results. Motivation and capability help to alter how people think and perceive medical guidelines and can play a key role in convincing people to wear the covid-19 masks.

On the other hand, the external environment of people also needs to be changed to alter the attitudes and perceptions of people towards diseases and medical guidelines. This can make people change their behavior. Health care providers and governments need to create an opportunity where people can learn and get knowledge on the dangers of diseases and the importance of following the medical guidelines. For example in the covid-19 pandemic, the majority of people are yet to have full information regarding covid-19, how it spreads, and the importance of using the masks. Therefore, most people who have developed a negative attitude towards the masks only act out of ignorance. However, their behavior can be changed if health care facilities and the government at large setup training and education camps in communities. People need to be educated about covid-19 and the importance of following all the medical guidelines. This will create an opportunity where people will learn and change their behaviors.

Various factors can make people change their behavior. Policy changes are among the factors that can influence people to change their behavior. For example, the covid-19 protocols can be adjusted to make it mandatory for people to wear masks in public places. Failure to which they may be arrested or denied public services. Therefore, people with negative attitudes will be forced to adjust their behavior to suit the new policies. On the other hand, health behavior is usually an interchange between the environment and the beliefs of people. The environment that people live in affects how they react to medical advice. Therefore, physicians and health care providers need to use evidence-based techniques to influence the behavior of people. By using the evidence about the effectiveness of various medical procedures, people can change their senses and procedures of how they approach various clinical advice or practices.

An analysis is also crucial in shaping the behavior of people. Analysis helps people to develop a high level of discernment that can help them to change their behavior. Through discernment, clients can understand the dangers of diseases and the importance of following medical procedures or advice. On the other hand, the analysis also enlightens the clients. The majority of people who have negative health behavior often lack critical knowledge or health information. Therefore, all forms of analysis help the clients to identify their mistakes and proper procedures that they use to address their health concerns. On the other hand, cultural and religious beliefs also influence the lives and reactions of people towards health. However, analysis is crucial since it helps people to overcome their cultural fears and use the rights medical processes to address their health concerns. Therefore, analysis is crucial as it helps people to have medical discernment, get medical enlightenment, identify their health gaps, and also overcome cultural fears.

There are hopes that people can still change their health behaviors. One of the key indicators is the establishment of medical institutions that provide people with advice on how to undertake their medication. The majority of countries have counseling institutions attached to their health centers. They are crucial in helping their patients to change their attitudes towards medical advice. Furthermore, advancement in technology is also crucial in helping people to get medical advice. For example, the Electronic Health Record (EHR) has enabled the patients and the medical providers to communicate and share their information. Nowadays, patients do not need to visit health facilities to communicate with health care professionals. Hence, the nurses and doctors still have a chance of communicating with patients and educate them on the importance of changing their health behavior. Therefore, there are still hopes that people can change their health behaviors. The establishment of medical institutions and the advancement in technology are among the key indicators that people will change their health behavior in the future.

In conclusion, health behavior is a key aspect in creating sustainability in society. Negative attitudes towards medical procedures usually undermine the efforts of governments and health institutions to fight diseases or pandemics. However, creating motivation and giving people an opportunity to learn and understand health behavior.