Times are such that work is out of place and so are the worker. Everybody’s lives are out or order. It’s total chaos out there in the worl.
If you’re feeling a bit anxious right now, I don’t blame you at all and you’re certainly not the only one feeling this way. In such times it very important to introspect to find an inner sense of calmness and well being!
This calls for us to invest in our mental health. If y are calm inside only then are you stable outside!
Here are a few strategies to invest in both your mental health and sense of calm at the same time.
Express gratitude.
Expressing gratitude is a shortcut to feeling a sense of abundance. Tonight, if you’re with a partner at home, recall three things you’re both grateful for—and continue with this ritual each night afterward. Or write down about 10 things you’re grateful for, considering why each thing on your list is important to you. Read it a while later. Gratitude redirects our attention away from the perceived threats around us, toward what we’re lucky to have and experience. Feel grateful.
Exercise daily.
Exercise is probably the best stress-reliever available. It balances our brain chemicals like serotonin etc, it is an outlet for stress, and usually leaves us feeling less anxious than before. Hence during this self-isolation work out at home every single day.It needn be on fancy gym equipment. Something as simple as jogging on the spot would help too,walk up the stairs.
Meditate.
Meditation doesn’t change what you experience, but it completely changes how you relate to what you experience. There has never been a better time to learn to meditate than now. It’s a practice that allows you to see events around you with equanimity; you’re less phased by periods of chaos and uncertainty. So practice meditation and yoga.
Disconnect from the world
Stop refreshing the news. On most days, the news allows us to catch up on events going on around the world , both positive and negative. Right now, of course, there is an unprecedented amount of negativity in news updates. It’s worth having hours where you disconnect from the news. Stick to these hours, for the sake of your mental health. This way you can stay informed without burying your head in the sand, but also disconnect from it all.
Cut down on your Coffee, Tea
When you consume caffeine,you feel alert and vigilant. This can be good when we need to focus,meet deadlines and get work done, but during stressful times like these, it leads us to feel more overwhelmed. That’s because your body releases more of the stress hormones like norepinephrine and cortisol. They tend to increase your heart rate and muscle tone leaving you feeling tens. One can view caffeine as a sort of liquid stress; great for when you need a jolt, and less helpful for when you’re already feeling anxious. If you are feeling on edge, consider cutting back how much caffeine you consume each day.
Grab a book !
When we go through stressful periods and uncomfortable situations, we have the tendency to “escape ” so as to avoid confronting what we’re really feeling. Most of these are unhealthy escape hatches that can be fun in small doses are drinking alcohol, binge-watching TV shows, distracting ourselves with overeating and ofcourse social media. Of all of the escapes we can deploy, books are among the most healthy. They allow our mind to slow down a bit, so we can process what we’re going through, while we lose ourselves in a story. Books can be your best friend.
Get in touch with loved ones.
You can have a drink over video chat with a friend on weekends. Call a friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while. Most of us are in the same boat with this crisis. Reach out to a few friends you miss, or haven’t seen in a while, and have a drink or a cup of tea with them over video chat. Better yet, have dinner with someone else or your group over video chat.Find fun in it.
Find one thing to savor every day.
Taking time to savor something you enjoy is a surefire way of experiencing more calm. Each day, find one thing in your life to slowly enjoy—whether that’s a cup of herbal tea in the evening, a good book in the morning, or cooking dinner with your family after work, or a new dish every day.
Treat yourself (in healthy ways).
To find a nice way to treat yourself, ask yourself this question: what’s one thing you enjoy doing that brings you enjoyment and contentment? When we reward ourselves, we sometimes indulge in experiences that are instantly gratifying, that aren’t as enjoyable in the long run (like shopping, drinking, or smoking). Turn instead to things that bring you genuine enjoyment, like yoga, gardening, exercise, cooking or socializing with those you love.
Spring clean your habits.
It’s often during times of great change that it’s easiest for us to change our existing habits and adopt new and better ones. Having to live in self-isolation sucks, there’s no question about it. But it’s also an opportunity to look at your habits, and determine which ones are worth letting go of, or which new ones are worth adopting. Make a list of your habits, and identify which ones are serving you, and which ones aren’t. Now is the time to deeply consider which habits you want to change or adopt in order to live a better life.
Having to live in self-isolation makes investing in our mental health difficult, but not impossible.
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