With the unfortunate rise again internationally of Covid-19 cases, and with many of us having to stay indoors with the colder months ahead, I wanted to remind you of my Top 8 Tips to help manage your mental health through this pandemic and quarantining! These tips derived from my post a few months ago when the pandemic began entitled My Quarantine Life, so please also check out that post for a more in-depth look.
Here goes 🌝…
Tip #1: Structure your day. This will give you some sense of normalcy and you will feel productive and purposeful otherwise, it’s easy to lose yourself and become bored or worse – by immersing yourself in your job, you could work overtime to the point of burn out!
Tip #2: Start your day with a prayer, gratitude journal or meditation. I found that doing meditation during lunch time works for me as it helps to balance my day and keeps me refreshed in the afternoon.
Tip #3: Recognize that above all else, health care is important. Just because you see other people making their businesses boom during this quarantine time or others being extra creative, don’t think you need to come up with the latest invention or fit every little thing into this time of isolation. Go at your own pace, we all deal with situations differently. Some days we’ll want to be productive while other days we’ll just want to relax. Allow yourself to grieve any loss you are experiencing, and mentally process all that has been going on.
Tip #4: There’s always something to do (if you feel up to it). For instance, clean out that basement or paint that room that you’ve been holding off on. Learn a new skill or trade online, research entrepreneurs, take classes that interest you. A lot of the sessions online now are free or at a considerably less cost!…Especially if your dream was to take a class with that acting or life coach who lives on the other side of the world..there is so much more access to online resources than Pre-Covid.
Tip #5: Limit your watching and listening to the News. Get the important info that you need then turn off that TV, Radio, or that horrifying WhatsApp video a friend just sent to you about “how the virus really started” and “how we are all doomed anyway so we might as well give up now”. It won’t do us any good to constantly be bombarded with how high the death toll keeps getting per minute! Moreover, talk to a trusted friend or loved one or a Professional and discuss your feelings. Take advantage of Employee Assistance Programs. I tend to set boundaries for myself nowadays regarding conversations I have, we have to be open and honest with each other if there are certain elements of this virus situation we aren’t comfortable discussing or listening to.
Tip #6: Making an exercising routine and daily activity is important especially when working from home. Remember to get up and move every 30 minutes from your work station and do the 20/20/20 rule for eye care. What is the 20/20/20 rule you ask? Let me tell you! The rule says that for every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, a person should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will reduce eye strain and minimize headaches you may experience after staring at the screen for long periods of time. I recently stumbled upon this rule as I myself experienced eye strain within the first week of working from home and ended up having to take a few days off! To further assist with my eye care I purchased a larger monitor for myself along with anti-glare glasses. Important note: Remember to look into being able to claim expenses for working from home during this Covid-19 pandemic!
Tip #7: Connect with family, friends, and colleagues on platforms like Zoom, and Houseparty. If you absolutely need to meet up with someone, make it part of your outdoor activity and take a walk in the park, while social distancing of course and following proper health guidelines! Binge watch your favourite show or find a new documentary to check out. Join that DJ’s Instagram Live session or that Dance company’s Dance-A-Thon. I’ve been downloading Apps to practice my film shooting and editing skills. Expand your knowledge on your favourite subjects! Don’t forget, there are also a lot of ways to donate and give back to the community on reputable charity websites.
Tip #8: Lastly, drum role please for this one……Do not forget to congratulate yourself for doing your part and staying in as much as possible thus, staying safe!!! Thank you for preserving our humanity. At the end of the day…we are all in this together! We will come out of this BETTER and STRONGER!!
I sincerely hope the above tips help to keep you moving forward!
Additional Resources:
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Resources
Blessings, and remember my motto in life: Love, Live & Give. Stay safe!
Sharma xoxo
Lights, Camera, ACTION! 