10 Tips To Take Care Of Your Emotional Wellness During The Covid-19 Pandemic
COVID 19, along with attacking our immune system and organs, is having a harmful effect on the mental health of people. Anxiety, fatigue and new adjustments are affecting us all. At this point, it is extremely important to manage and take care of our mental health as it can lead to compound physical health issues too. Though we recognize that we are overthinking, it’s still difficult to stop worrying due to several uncertainties.
The top 4 mental health issues identified by experts are anxiety, stress, mental abuse due to narcissist home mates and social-media depression. We researched the best actionable items suggested by mental health experts to help one get out of these and find strength in difficult times. There is always a way out of feeling overwhelmed. All you need to do is invest a little time for yourself and sincerely dedicate some time to practice these easy self-healing tasks. Here are the top 10 action items to include in your daily life if you are not feeling very well emotionally during the pandemic.
1. Start Journaling
Write your worries and fears clearly in your journal or a piece of paper. The magnitude of problems seems much bigger than they are when they are not identified precisely. You can get a fresh perspective, lead to a solution-based approach once you write down the problem and ponder upon it. Journaling is equivalent to talking your heart out and feeling heard by an important person, that is yourself. It opens doors for some deep reflection and introspection.
2. Reconstruct your thoughts to keep optimistic approach
When you stress on your thoughts, you will realize that a lot of it revolves around uncertainties about the future. For example: what if my parents contract the virus, what if I lose my job, when will the pandemic end, what if I accidentally touch my face with infected hands and so much more! Try to focus on the present and keep yourself engaged in the present task 100%. Try grounding yourself to focus on what is around you at the moment. A popular practice to calm your mind includes the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This includes totally focusing on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch,3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. We bet you agree that having those candies handy is a happy savior!
3. Meditate and incorporate breathing practices
It is important to calm your system inside out. Deep breathing techniques instantly help relax and rejuvenate, stay in the present and build a positive thought process. There are several types of meditation and breathing techniques followed in ancient traditions. You can always pick the one that suits your likes, body type and cause. Nowadays, we have access to some amazing free sessions online. From experts, we have learnt that almost all that a beginner needs is right there on the Internet! So get researching to pick the meditation and breathing techniques as per what excites you. Your system will thank you for the extra oxygen received.
4. Strengthen your time management skills
The pandemic has gotten each one of us multitasking like never before. Prioritizing tasks and staying well planned is extremely useful. You can use great time management tools and make sure that you know how your day is rolled out, well ahead of time. Also, having a clear to-do list and knowing how much you intend to achieve in a certain time frame can help you focus, relieving anxiety to quite a great extent!
5. Try working in teams and keeping in touch with loved ones virtually
Social distancing can cause loneliness. It is a great idea to make teams with people at work. Working in a team opens the window for variety, creativity and coordination. Working independently is great in normal circumstances, but during these unprecedented times, it can feel intensely mundane. Say yes to collaborations and working with like-minded people. Similarly, make sure you are in touch with your friends and family from time to time. In the end, we got to keep the social distance but not isolate ourselves or create our own unnatural bio bubble.
6. Swear by unconditional optimism
Tell yourself that you are good enough, giving in your best and doing all that is in your control. What is meant to happen, will happen regardless. All you can do is give in your best in all that you do in the present day and leave the rest. Stay rest assured that things will unfold the way you want them to and you will get there. Life doesn’t always need to be perfect and it is ok to fall behind in the rat-race. While everyone is talking about lockdown productivity and harnessing hobbies, you can always choose to slow down and live mindfully.
7. Practice Yoga and Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes
Yoga and other forms of physical training workouts are well known to be the best stress-busters releasing the much-needed endorphins. Even a minimum of thirty minutes of intense physical activities can majorly help in changing your mood and keeping spirits high! Workouts also help one keep away from addictions and manage current health issues. The general feel-good factor that comes with a good workout session is of great help in the current scenario.
8. Spend time with pets and people you love
If you are an animal lover, pet therapy is a significant calmer you need at times like these. Pet therapy is an animal-assisted therapy (ATT) where you can spend time petting your favorite fur baby or a trained animal in a pet therapy center. Research has also proven that spending time with children can be a mood booster, instantly distracting one from worrisome thoughts. So find what suits you best and make space for it in your day.
9. Limit that screen time!
“One Call Away” is what life boils down to nowadays. Texting anxiety and social media depression is a growing epidemic. Comparisons with those who ‘seem’ to be doing better than us, unwanted and unfiltered comments coming from all sides, cyberbullying and online harassment have taken a toll on the mental health of many. According to the statistics of recent research, an average individual cannot go more than 12 minutes without checking their phone. To save yourself from overexposure to the digital devices, keep your phone 10 meters away from you before you hit the bed. This will help you not look at it before sleeping and inviting thoughts or insomnia. This will also help you wake up without feeling tempted to look at the screen and soak into the morning energy instead. Turn off your phone during your self-care hours. Yet another interesting way to limit the screen time is to switch on the screen time tracker. This can be an eye-opener, encouraging you to drop your devices and bask in some sunlight.
10. Practice Gratitude daily
This is one of the strongest strategies to help minimize stress, which is especially intense these days with the virus here to stay. Gratitude can be very soothing and impacts your well-being positively. Write down 1-2 things/aspects of your life that you are truly thankful and grateful for. For example, your ability to read to the end of this lovely blog!
Disclaimer: Consult a trained therapist or mental health professional for more methods or techniques to suit your specific requirement.
If you have any tips that you use to pull yourself out of a low phase, let us know in the comments below.
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