5 Tips to Help Maintain Your Mental Health
5 Tips to Help Maintain Your Mental Health
Coping with a situation like the Coronavirus pandemic can take its toll on anyone. Self-isolation and social distancing measures that are aimed at curbing the spread of the virus can easily make you anxious or even stressed. According to Dr. Harteneck Patricia (2015) from Pschologytoday.com, mental health cannot be reduced to a diagnosis - it is the overall state of your psychological well-being.
Mental health is responsible for cognitive thinking, emotive interactions, and productivity at work. As you work from home during this outbreak, it is important to take care of your mental health or your work and general well-being could be affected.
We may not know when things will get back to normal, but however bleak the situation may get, it is possible to look after your mental health by following the steps outlined below.
Control your intake of bad news
Watching the news helps you stay in the know, but after a while, it becomes more of a source of anxiety than a source of information. With the number of infections and deaths rising by the day, watching every breaking news story on the COVID-19 pandemic can be quite upsetting. It is still possible to stay informed without dealing with the upsetting nature of the news. For instance, you can sign up for WHO updates and stop watching the news channels altogether. Doing this will give you more free time which you can use for a leisure activity that makes you happy.
Personal care
It is easy to neglect yourself when self-isolating. If you do not treat yourself the right way, you will not feel great about yourself and that can easily spiral down to anxiety and depression. Taking care of yourself entails a number of things, but it includes creating time to work out, having fun, take care of personal grooming, etc. Also, do not binge watch movies at the expense of sleep. A study by the University of Michigan (n.d.) found insufficient sleep to be a huge contributor to high-stress levels among university students. Make sure to have a good 8 hours of sleep every day.
Sometimes, taking care of yourself might sound like slacking but it is not. You shouldn't allow yourself to get so busy that a small reprieve sounds like a guilty pleasure. Taking a break from work to do mundane activities like watching a movie, taking coffee, or walking the dog might appear to be a waste of time, but it actually helps you to be more productive. By the time you get back from your break, you will be rejuvenated, less stressed and your creative juices will start flowing again.
Eat well
Eating well can significantly reduce your stress levels while working from home. Choosing the right diet is actually one of the recommended therapeutic modalities for the management of stress. Vitamin C, which is generally found in citrus fruits, not only boosts your immunity but also lowers cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Magnesium is known for preventing headaches and fatigue, and so you may want to eat foods rich in magnesium like salmon, green leafy veggies, and soybeans. If you feel like taking some comfort foods, try going for healthy choices like dark chocolate and oatmeal. In addition, remember to eat a balanced diet to ensure you aren't depriving your body of any essential nutrients.
Plan a routine
Planning is one of the principles of success and productivity. Every top achiever has a routine that they stick to. Granted, there is no perfect routine that works for everyone, but everyone can develop a routine that makes sense for them. For instance, while some people will prefer creating a detailed to-do list, others do well with creating a map that will guide them throughout the day. Whichever the case might be, it is advisable to create a routine that will guide your workflow.
Start by listing down the tasks you need to accomplish each day and then split your day into morning, afternoon, and nighttime. Once you have the list, order them depending on their importance and determine which part of the day is best for the task. As you create the routine, remember to include breaks and leisure activities. Also, do not be a slave to the routine - you can deviate from it once in a while, but try to stick to it as much as possible. Following a plan will help you to feel more in control of the day and thereby reduce your anxiety.
Create a work-life balance
One of the dangers of working from home is that your work can easily take over your day. Creating a work-life balance will help you avoid this quagmire. It is important to have a life while still being productive at work. The easiest way of doing this is by determining how many hours you need to put to your work and sticking to the plan. If you have a spouse or roommate, discuss with them to see if your work is affecting your relationship in any way, and take the necessary corrective steps. On the flip side, make sure your family/leisure time is not affecting your work time. If you have kids, it might help to set up a private home office or switch your working hours to avoid interruptions when working.
Following the steps outlined above will help you have better mental health during this pandemic. However, do not hesitate to seek professional help if you notice your psychological wellbeing deteriorating. Asking for help is always a sign of strength rather than weakness and besides, mental illness can be treated.
Sources:
Harteneck, Patricia (2015). Psychology Today. 9 Ways You Can Improve Your Mental Health Today. psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-s-mental-health-matters/201510/9-ways-you-can-improve-your-mental-health-today
University of Michigan (n.d). Sleep. uhs.umich.edu/sleep
