2020 was a challenging year for people all around the world. Instead of reviving the dazzling Roaring Twenties of the 20th century, as we hoped, in 2020, we've got an extreme situation with global illness with no clear cure.
Everybody around says that we need to stay safe, avoid personal communication and be at home as much as we can. But people are very social beings, and these, though necessary, restrictions inevitably bring a lot of anxiety to our lives. And the worst part is that we really don't know when it will end.
In these more than unusual circumstances, mental health should be as important as physical wellness for a modern person. Learning how to avoid anxiety in these hard times is just crucial for all of us now.
So today, we will explore simple ways to help you stay mentally healthy and happy during the hard times. Let's do it!
Continue remote working if you can
We, as a civilization, are incredibly lucky that this crisis happens when the vast majority of workers can continue working from home and stay productive. Remote work has a lot of cons. For example:
1. At home, your risk of catching a disease is as low as it can be.2. You can be more comfortable working in your PJs because now we all need a break.3. We have extra time previously spent on a route to work to cook and eat more healthily.4. We spend more time with family and pets and strengthen the bonds between us.
As you can see, remote working and learning have an abundance of positive sides. Not to mention that the quality and amount of methods of online learning during the pandemic increased drastically. Almost everyone, if they are a professional, can use webinar recording software, create their own course and share with people. You can try it too, and it can be a good side gig for you!
With all that being said, remote work still has a couple of cons. For example,
1. If you live alone, you can't socialize with your friends at work like you used to, so you can be lonely.2. Not everybody has enough space at home to work comfortably.3. You can start feeling a little bit claustrophobic because of the constant existing in the same four walls.But don't be afraid, our next tips will help you stay okay and calm even if you can't leave your house.
Do not forget about physical activity.
When we are all under the pressure of a new lockdown around the corner, and it seems that the world is falling apart, it is easy to forget that your body needs its daily dose of physical activity.
To stay healthy, we need about 30-40 minutes of activity daily, which equals 8,000-10,000 steps a day. If you can, you should go for a walk every day, preferably before sleep, or use any other kind of your preferred activity. YouTube offers tons of ideas of effective and easy exercise routines, so start browsing immediately.
Spice up your routine
Physical activity is just a part of a puzzle. Various creative tasks, hobbies, chores, and good rest are important for your mental health too.
It is crucial to have a stable routine to stay mentally healthy, but this everyday plan needs to include reading books, doing laundry, playing video games, feeding your pets, cleaning, etc. We try to say that you need to have a routine of various tasks that won't give you a chance to be bored to stay healthy.
Say no to negativity.
It is the time when you need to reduce stress and avoid negativity at any cost: you're already going through a lot.
It is not easy to learn how to avoid negativity when the world is full of it, but you should try nevertheless.
Firstly stop looking through statistics of pandemics. Next, try to clean up your house and get rid of any stuff you hate. Next, do not let people upset you, and if they do, stop talking to them. And lastly, talk to your therapist about different techniques to avoid negativity in your life: this specialist will definitely help you with that.
Communicate and bring more laughter to your life
Laughter can't cure COVID, but it can help you to live through it. Watch stand-up on Netflix, rent some comedies on YouTube or organize a Zoom party with your friends.
You need to talk to your loved ones regularly because humans just can't be alone all the time. It is crucial to stay in touch with everyone you love, but make these meetings as safe as possible. If your state is not currently under lockdown, meet your friends in a park, have a picnic, laugh, and keep a social distance from each other to stay safe.
Get enough sleep
Sleep should be one of the top priorities in your life because not getting enough or poor quality sleep affects every single aspect of your life. You need to plan your day in a way that will allow you to go to sleep and get up at the same time after 6 to 11 hours of sleep (depending on your personal needs).
If you have problems with sleeping, you can buy a fitness tracker or sleeping apps that will help you determine the issues and fix them.
Conclusion
COVID era brought to the surface many problems with our society. We can't fix all of them right now, but we can help ourselves, at least.
We need to remember the importance of mental health not only on the World Mental Health Day/emergency services but every day. We should seek help when we need it and raise kids to be more thoughtful about their and others' mental problems. Maybe, this way, we will raise a much happier next generation.