The stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear brought about by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic can take a toll on a person’s mental health. Nobody really knows when this public health emergency will end and until now, there is no proven cure for the disease. With most businesses shut down, this also means more people have lost or will lose their source of income in the coming weeks.
It is normal to worry about how it will affect your life. Will you be able to survive the virus if you become infected? How about your loved ones who are at a higher risk? Will you still be able to keep your job? How are you going to pay your bills?
While these are legitimate questions that you will have to face sooner or later, it will also not help if you worry yourself nonstop. When your mental health becomes poor, this could also affect your body physically, making your immune system weaker and more susceptible to diseases.
So, how can you take care of your mental health during the pandemic while you are stuck inside your home? Here are some useful tips.
Limit watching Covid-19 news and social media updates
There is no shortage of bad news or depressing news during these times. If these constant streams of negative information is making you anxious, it’s time to switch off. While it is important to keep yourself updated on what’s happening every day, you should limit watching the news to only around twice a day. This includes checking your social media feed.
Avoid looking or commenting at toxic comments on social media because these will only trigger your anger and make you more upset. Avoid fighting with people. Instead, do your part by staying home and keeping yourself and the people around you healthy.
Speak to loved ones
When you’re isolated from the rest of the world and you can’t go about your usual routine, it’s easy to feel miserable. Instead of wallowing or drowning in your own misery, use this opportunity to speak with your loved ones and reconnect with friends. Because of the pandemic, you now have more time to talk to one another and have meaningful conversations.
If you don’t know what to say or you don’t know how to start, why not begin the conversation by saying thank you and showing your gratitude for the people you love. Tell them how much you appreciate their presence in your life. Not only will it make you feel better, but this gesture will also help lift up their spirits.
Write down your thoughts
If you are not comfortable voicing out your fears and talking to another person, what could be helpful is writing these thoughts down. Start a journal and use this as a way to vent out your emotions and thoughts. It doesn’t matter if there’s a structure to what you’re writing or if it is making any sense. Just keep writing and type out your thoughts, emotions, and fears. Writing is the same as verbalizing your thoughts and it can be an outlet for you so you won’t bottle up all your emotions.
When you finish writing down everything on your mind, start writing down positive things. Even if it’s something so small or so minor. Be thankful for things that you can still enjoy, things that you are still able to do, and things that may seem unimportant but are still valuable.
Relax
The Covid-19 pandemic is a unique situation and in this moment of uncertainty, nobody really knows what’s going to happen next. Instead of stressing yourself, just sit back and relax. Enjoy a long bath, cook a healthy meal, or find an enjoyable book to read. Partake in enjoyable activities you can do at home. Take the opportunity to recharge and reset.
Stay productive
One way to keep yourself mentally healthy is by staying productive. If you are constantly worrying about whether you’re going to be sick, or about your job or how to pay your bills, crying about this will not help you at all. Instead, look for ways that you can use your time productively.
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