The novel coronavirus pandemic is still far from over and while some stay at home orders and lockdown rules are starting to be relaxed around the world, many people are still dealing with unprecedented changes to their daily lives. For most of us, life as normal has come to a halt with offices closed down and remote working becoming the norm, being unable to meet up with friends and family, or even see partners that we don’t live with. Whether you live with family or alone and are under quarantine, massive changes to your routine such as these can have a huge impact on your mental health and wellbeing. Here are some small steps that you can take to look after your mental health while in quarantine.
Speak to Somebody:
First of all, don’t think that you have to go through this alone. If you are struggling with feelings of overwhelming anxiety about the pandemic, work, relationships, or just life in general, people are still there to help you through these times. KCC Health online counseling can be a very useful resource to take advantage of if you want to speak to a trained therapist from the comfort of your own home; you can have video counseling sessions or even get web chat counseling if you feel more comfortable typing your feelings out.
Get Enough Sleep:
For many people, with no work to go to in the morning and a lack of a structured routine to their days, it’s easy to fall into poor sleep habits. But while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a bit longer in bed in the morning now that you’ve got the chance to, be careful not to disrupt your sleep pattern too much. You might find it useful to invest some of the free time on your hands into redecorating your bedroom and turning it into a relaxing sanctuary where you can go to destress. Treat yourself to some good books to read and make it nice and cozy with throws and move a radio or Bluetooth speaker into your bedroom so that you can fall asleep to the sound of some relaxing music if it helps.
Don’t Pressure Yourself:
Social media can do all kinds of things when it comes to putting unrealistic expectations on ourselves but remember, even though half your Instagram feed might be posts about people taking courses and starting businesses during the pandemic, that doesn’t mean that you have to do that. People deal with stressful situations differently and if you find that being productive helps you, then that’s great, but don’t feel guilty if you want to spend a day relaxing and taking care of yourself in other ways. If you normally lead a busy life and it’s all slowed down to a halt because of the pandemic, then rather than beating yourself up for not being as productive as you normally would, take this time to breathe and focus on self-care.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused unusual circumstances for us all, and you’re not alone if you feel that your mental health is affected by it. Keep these strategies in mind and most importantly, look after yourself right now.