The COVID-19 Pandemic has radically altered our lives, from our jobs to our education to our social interactions.
Several challenges arise in this new reality. To take care of our emotional health and well-being, practising self-care is even more critical than ever. During this time, there is much anxiety and stress.
By concentrating on what helps us feel nourished and what gives us meaning, we can ease those feelings and strengthen our foundation.
Many different practices can be included in self-care, such as being enjoyable and providing you with benefits for your physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Hygiene, nutrition, leisure, sport, exercise, seeking reliable healthcare when necessary, and more are among them.
We all feel stressed and overwhelmed from time to time when we are uncertain about the future. Anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness are common emotions felt as a result of uncertainty.
Amid these experiences, you might also feel helpless, discouraged and sometimes out of control.
There can be physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, and sleeping problems. To support your family during this trying time, you must take care of yourself as well. The following self-care tips can help you take care of yourself:
Also Read: Dealing With Pregnancy Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic
9 Self-Care Tips During Covid-19 Pandemic
1. Sleep Is Crucial For Your Mental Health And Immune System
To maintain your health and wellness, sleeping is a must. A healthy amount of sleep ensures that your immune system can fight off infections, such as those caused by the new Coronavirus.
It’s true – parts of the body’s immune system occur only as the sleep cycle progresses. The scientific community knows sleep is also a great way to help us relax and cope with stress.
Sleep deprivation can increase our sensitivity to stress and ramp up our reactions (or overreactions). Furthermore, your brain will function less effectively; you’ll be less patient and focused, make poor decisions, and be moodier, irritable, and emotional.
2. Stress
Know the Symptoms: Self-care can be about responding with micro habits when you’re feeling overwhelmed or overloaded to avoid total burnout. Have you started to isolate yourself from friends? Is the traffic in your area making you swear?
Do you suffer from frequent headaches or stomach aches these days? Emojis are the ones you use to demonstrate how overwhelmed you are. (We all have a particular emoji we identify with, right?)
When you notice yourself wanting to text that emoji to everybody on your contact list, take it as a cue to ask yourself what you need. Roll your shoulders a few times and then go for a short walk to loosen your muscles.
The goal is to become aware and follow a self-knowledge plan that allows you to adjust your behaviour.
3. Work Out/Exercise
The fact that you spend a lot more time at home does not entitle you to be the next couch potato.
Staying active does more than keep your body healthy (eliminating chronic health problems and reducing your chances of acute illnesses, like COVID-19), but it also keeps your mind in good spirits.
Exercising releases endorphins (hormones that make you feel good), sharpens your focus and enhances your sleep. Maintaining a physically active lifestyle may also decrease the risk of mood disorders and improve mood in general.
4. A new workout may be scary, but it’s the best thing you can do
Generally, people stick to what they know when it comes to fitness. But this may be the perfect opportunity to leave your comfort zone – while you’re still in your own home.
It will further protect you from feeling awkward or like a newbie without compromising your ability to take advantage of the benefits of taking the class.
Take a look at fun options, such as Zumba, boxing, and dance workouts, and try apps, such as Openfit or Sworkit, with various workouts.
5. Downward Dog Like You Mean It
How about you? Do you practice Yoga? Have you thought about starting a yoga practice? This is the right time to practice Yoga.
The benefits of Yoga are nearly endless, ranging from stress relief, stretching out inactive muscles, to building strength to providing a burst of physical activity (depending on the style you practice).
During this difficult time, how might Yoga be a beneficial tool to help you cope? Movement and breathing are linked. These two factors can dramatically affect the body’s stress reaction so that Yoga can be a saviour during hard times.
6. Jump around, hop around, and be silly
You can boost your mood with anything that makes you feel silly and like a kid again. Positive neurochemicals such as serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine are released in the body through any play.
A 20-60 second burst of child-like activity can create a surge in feel-good chemicals, especially if stressed.
7. Take a Forest Bath
“Forest bathing,” or Shinrin-yoku, is the Japanese practice of walking between trees and inhaling deeply.
Chemicals released by trees, such as terpenes, are associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, which signals the body to “chill out” and make itself less stressed.
There is empirical evidence that forest bathing can improve mental health by reducing measures of depression.
8. When do you need to boost your energy levels, reach for high-protein snacks:
Feeling hungry? Here are some foods to eat. Having protein-rich snacks on hand will help you complete your day’s task list. Protein benefits have been well documented:
Protein helps you feel full longer and reduces your risk of experiencing an energy crash after a carb-heavy snack. Veggies, nut butter, hard-boiled eggs, nuts, yoghurt, and Greek yoghurt are all ideal.
9. Listen to music to chill out
Listen to some uplifting music instead of watching the talking head on television. When people encounter physical or psychological problems, music therapy helps them cope with their difficulties.
Furthermore, it reduces symptoms of mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression and improves self-esteem as well.
Conclusion
The covid-19 Pandemic has been long and struggling. We all are suffering from depression, anxiety, and fear. Despite all these factors, we all should take care of ourselves.
By following the aforementioned points, one can easily stay happy and healthy.