Self-care tips to keep you mentally and physically strong
Social distancing and quarantine can be hard to bear physically and mentally. Even though staying at home and avoiding people may help slow the spread of the Covid19 virus, it can also lead to loneliness, stress, anxiety, depression, and other mood changes, according to the American Psychological Association.
Below are a few tips for self care to help get you through this difficult time, or anytime when you find yourself in difficult situations:
Making time for self-care is important for your overall health.
It is easy to get lost in the mental noise and stress of confinement when watching the news every hour or scrolling social media a little too much. You may be in isolation, but you’re certainly not alone in this. It’s common and totally normal to feel afraid and stressed during a pandemic or outbreak, but taking time to step away from the noise and focus on yourself can help ease those feelings.
Just two weeks in quarantine can be linked with serious mental health issues, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anger. When in isolation, humans often also forgo basic habits and hygiene, which can add to the stress on the body and mind.
Some of these may have long-lasting effects. If you’ve found yourself in an extended state of self- or mandated quarantine, more than ever, self-care should be at the forefront of your mind. In just a few simple ways, you can work it into your time spent at home.
Set a daily schedule:
Whether or not you are working from home during this time, it is important to set a daily routine. It greatly enhances mental health to have a plan for the day, with specific tasks and activities and time set to do them. You can set this schedule the night before so you are ready to go in the morning.
It is important to start each day with the same habits you had before quarantine, including brushing your teeth, showering, and changing out of your sleepwear into clothing you would wear if you were going out. Just these little steps give your mind some much-needed normalcy. Once you’re up and dressed, you can move into your plan for the day which should include: basic hygiene and self care, meals and meal preparation, exercise, social interactions with friends/family outside your home (via phone/text), work tasks, home projects, relaxation, and yes, even time for the latest news (just not too much!).
Plan your meals:
Eating healthy and regular meals is especially important during times of stress. During confinement, it is easy to eat throughout the day due to stress or boredom and easy to eat poorly overall. A scarcity mentality may cause us to crave unhealthy “comfort” foods filled with fat, salt and sugar. While access to some foods may be difficult during these times, trying to plan healthy meals and purchase food to fit that plan will keep you physically and mentally stronger.
Some apps and websites can help generate creative recipes with ingredients you have in your home to make it easier to eat well. Setting specific times for meals will keep you on a routine, shown to ease stress during crisis, and keep you from overeating, or under-eating, during the day.
Make time to unwind
Make time for projects that make you happy. Spend time reading, writing, small home projects, painting, meditating or doing yoga — whatever you enjoy.
If you like to cook, plan out your next few days of meals and cook healthy dishes for yourself and everyone in your house using what you have on hand. This will also challenge your creativity and help you fight boredom. But, if you’re sick, leave the cooking to someone else.
Exercise to promote good health
Exercise of any kind helps boost and support the immune system. It’s also a great tool for managing anxiety and stress and will help you pass time throughout the day.
If you’re stuck in your house, take time to move around a little. Use what you find in your home as your exercise equipment—climb up and down a few steps, or use books or cans of food as free weights. You can find a wide range of videos on YouTube for in-home workouts, yoga, breathing exercises and more. There are also great apps for meditation, fitness routines and more that you can download to your phone.
Be mindful to support your immune system
Mindfulness is anything that helps you be more aware of the current moment, from paying more attention to an activity to taking time to meditate. Just five minutes of meditation each day can help you reset your mind, and release stress.
Meditation and breathing exercises can help to slow your heart rate down and clear your mind. When practiced regularly, they can buffer the effects of stress, which helps support your immune system. You don’t have to be “mindful” in a meditative way if it doesn’t work for you. Taking a bath or reading a book helps to clear your mind and relax as well. Give the following mindfulness activities a try:
- Breathing exercises, focusing on each inhale and exhale
- Eating healthy meals, savoring each bite
- Meditating on a positive word (relaxation, ease or calm) or an image that makes you happy
- Intentionally connecting to an old friend (via phone or electronically, of course)
- Dry brushing to stimulate skin and circulation to help release toxins and stress from the body
Soak up some sun
When you can (depending on local restrictions and the structure of your home), sit outside to soak up some sun and fresh air! If you are able to take walk outside each day, even better (just remember to practice social distancing).
Take breaks from the news
Taking breaks from the news and social media helps distance yourself from what’s going on to avoid getting overwhelmed. When you’re spending time doing another activity, you’re automatically removing yourself from the barrage of news and social media that can be hard to avoid.
And, when you’re practicing self-care, consider not posting it to your favorite social media channels to really embrace giving yourself a break from these outlets. It can actually feel empowering.
Taking steps to practice self-care will help a great deal to pass the time, and feel like you’ve done something productive with it. Seeking the latest news, just once a day, can help to avoid feeling overwhelmed by all of the information that’s out there.
Remind yourself why you’re inside
Remind yourself why you are staying home. It’s to keep not only ourselves safe but our older neighbors down the street, our parents and others we care about who may be extra vulnerable.
Thank yourself for doing such an honorable and selfless act, and keep your mind busy as much as possible.
What to do if you’re sick
No matter what you do to practice self-care, remember to avoid touching your face – especially your mouth, nose and eyes. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of our elbow when coughing or sneezing to stop the spread of viruses, like COVID-19, that are spread through droplets.
Keep an eye out for any symptoms in yourself and those around you. If you or someone you care for is feeling sick, experiencing fever, or having difficulty breathing, call your doctor.