The Coronavirus pandemic has spread all over the world. Many of us are staying
inside our house to stop the spread of the virus. Some are working from home,
and some are out of work. I am getting a lot of phone calls from my patients
who are complaining about increasing stress, anxiety, and isolation during this
period. Besides, many are fearful, panicking, and unable to sleep at night.
Staying inside for multiple days is very stressful and can a toll on anybody.
Today, I am
going to discuss ten things we all can do while inside to stay positive and productive
during this crisis. These are everyday things which most of us already know.
But during a crisis, these are worth remembering and repeating. I have been
practicing them to keep my sanity and have been recommending them to my
patients who have found it beneficial. So, lets star:
1. Structure & Routine: It is imperative to stay busy during this lock-down. An empty mind is a devil's workshop. For those not used to work from
home, this can be a significant challenge. The goal is to keep a structure. During
normalcy, the world follows a routine. All work has a start and ends time. All
businesses, offices, schools have an opening and close time. As you stay home, you have to give yourself,
and if your small children them a structure. Set up a goal. Make a checklist, all
the things to be done for the day, stick it up the wall and follow it.
2. Exercise: When we stay indoors, we
have to move less, and we get less exercise. These cause sleep problems at
night as our body is not tired enough, and over time we feel low. Staying
indoors is no excuse for not getting work out. Many simple things you can do
indoors. Pushups, jumping jacks, stretching climbing stars repeatedly. You can
work out your entire body with any weight that you have, or even using your
body weight. Check out your tube for the home workout videos. The challenge is
when we go to the gym, we get uninterrupted free time without distraction,
in-home, we have family, children, chores- in that case, spread your workout
through the day, and do small chunks at a time. As long as you get a decent
workout within the day – it is okay.
3. Avoid social isolation- Many
Americans already feel lonely and isolated, which is a big reason for the
increasing mental illness. The coronavirus epidemic has exacerbated social
isolation to an even extreme level. Make a priority to stay in touch with your
friends and family through phone and video chat. Since most are locked inside, this
is a perfect opportunity to touch base with distant family members and
long-lost friends. Also, since all the family is in the home now, this an ideal
time to strengthen the family bonds between husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend-
father-son, mother-daughter by doing shared activities.
4. Be Outside Safely: Being inside does
not mean that you are in prison. Make sure to keep the windows open to let some
fresh air inside. If you have a balcony, terrace, patio, backyard- make full
use of it, and get as much free time as possible without incurring risk. You
can also walk near around the house or in a trail as long as you maintain the
six feet safety distance, use a protective face mask, and wash your hands
before and after.
5. Stay Positive: During the time of
panic and crisis, it is essential to stay positive. Do not criticize, and do
not complain. Corona-crisis posed a new challenge, which no one could foresee,
nor prepare. Avoid watching the news more than once a day as hearing all about
the sufferings, and death, around the
world repeatedly is demoralizing and traumatizing. I see many are continually
posting all the scary CoronaVirus updates on the Facebook and whatsapp groups.
Remain hopeful. Whenever you say or something negative, try to balance it with
something positive.
6. Use social media - Generally, I have
mixed feelings about social media. But this is an exceptional time. Many are
uploading pictures of exercise, cooking, gardening, and other things they are
doing from home during this time. It can be inspiring and uplifting. Also,
social media can help to stay in touch with others. You can do positive things
and upload them, and the positive feedback that you get will inspire you to do
more. However, make sure to use it in moderation and not at the expense of
other essential things.
7. Reading: Do you have a wish list of
books they have always wanted to read, but never got the time. Leisure time at
home is the perfect time to renew the practice of reading. If you find reading
a book taxing, audio-books are good options. Audiobooks are easy on the eyes,
and you can listen to them, as do household chores. Reading is an excellent
mental exercise as it creates new images in mind. Reading keeps your mind
active, youthful and protects against
age-related memory loss.
8. New hobby – Many of us always wanted
to pursue a hobby and start a new project. But we never could find time for
that. There are still some more urgent and pressing issues like work, travel,
family, relationships. Now with more free time at hand, there is an excellent time
to do what you have been putting off so long. I started my social media
platform, including youtube, Instagram, and Facebook page during this time. You
can take online classes, watch videos to learn more about your interests. Good sources are masterclass and great
courses.
9. Try Cooking: Most restaurants are
closed now. We have to take care of our meals. Stay away from the precooked
processed food filled with sugar, salt, and chemical preservatives. As we are
inside the home all day, this is a
perfect time to hone our cooking skills. Whatever you want to cook, easy you-tube tutorials are available for free. Once you learn how to cook, you can
make tasty food using all the healthy ingredients. Cooking is a life skill that
will serve you more for your health than any other skill.
10.
Mindfulness:
As we stay at home, this is a great time to learn and practice mindfulness,
which is a life-enhancing skill. Mindfulness improves our focus and attention
and makes us more open-minded and less judgmental. Mindfulness is an excellent
way to cope with the anxiety, stress, and restlessness that many are feeling
inside. Many organizations are providing free online mindfulness classes. I
will give some links to free mindfulness classes during this time.
In summary,
realize that this is a historical moment when the entire world is fighting a
common cause. Observe and learn how things unfold. I recently read an excellent
column by psychiatrist Dr. Shawn Sidhu who said that social distancing does not
mean social isolation, nor it means self-imprisonment. Also, realize the value
of human interaction. Practice mindfulness and use this moment to connect to
something deeper within yourself. Stay inside, stay active, and stay positive.
Make the best use of this time and opportunity, which may never come again in
our lifetime.
Watch Full Video here :
Watch Full Video here :
Reference:
No comments:
Post a Comment