Mental Health During Covid-19

With the events of the last year in mind, it’s safe to say that COVID-19 was hard on all of us. Social distancing, travel restrictions and self-isolation have all put a lot of pressure on our social lives and, more importantly, our mental health. With our social lives all but non-existent and our mental health not faring much better, you might be wondering what you can do to avoid falling into depression or worse.

Luckily, there are things you can do to avoid this fate. While the pandemic and its accompanying restrictions may have put a severe dent in your social life and mental health, there are a number of things you can do to preserve your mental health and avoid developing any preventable mental health issues.

In this article, we’ll be proposing a variety of ways in which you can not only preserve your mental health but embetter it. There’s a lot on this list, and there’s a good chance one or more of the entries on it may not be the solution you’re looking for. Nevertheless, if you give them a fair shake, we think that there’s a good chance these ideas may be helpful for you. Let’s begin! 

Start meditating 

When you think of meditation, what comes to mind? A Tibetan monk, swathed in acolyte garb? A serene Buddha seated cross-legged on the ground, contemplating the highest mysteries of the spiritual world? These depictions of meditation are commonplace in western culture, but this stereotypical depiction of meditation doesn’t have much to do with what meditation actually is. 

While many often conflate meditation with inscrutable mysticism and spirituality, the practice of meditation is actually quite simple and easy to implement in your personal life. At its core, meditation is simply about calming yourself down, improving your awareness and strengthening your control of your body and mind.

If you’re interested in incorporating the practice of meditation into your daily routine, there isn’t a whole lot to it. You don’t have to know anything about spirituality or mysticism, and you don’t need a specific meditation spot in your home (although you may want to consider making one if you find yourself enjoying meditation a great deal).

In order to start meditating, all you need to do is find a quiet place in your home, put down a bamboo mat, blanket or other soft material and sit down. Find a comfortable position, clear your mind of all extraneous thoughts and begin to focus on your breathing. After practicing meditation for some time, you’re highly likely to feel less stressed, more at ease and better relaxed. 

Adopt a self care routine

If you’ve ever dealt with mental health issues such as stress, depression or anxiety, you’re probably well aware of the fact that self care is one of the first things that you begin to neglect when you’re fighting these battles. When you’re struggling to find the will to get out of bed in the morning or desperately trying to meet deadlines, you’re not often left with the wherewithal to take care of yourself.

This might go without saying, but neglecting self care can exacerbate your pre existing issues to a worrying extent, as your self-image and physical condition begin to reflect that of your mental state. While spending time stuck inside due to the pandemic, self care may have taken a backseat as you struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy under these extenuating conditions.

Don’t despair though: we’ve got good news! If you’ve let your self care routine deteriorate, there’s a way to get it back on track. It’s not complicated or time consuming, but it does require consistency and resolution. The way to start caring for yourself once again is to set self care goals and take small, achievable steps towards achieving them.

What this will look like in your life is entirely up to you. Are you stressed all the time? Set aside an hour or two to take a bath, care for your skin and maybe even style your hair. Feeling lethargic and drained of energy? Try spending 5 minutes exercising every morning. You may not see the results of these self care improvements immediately, but over time you’ll start to feel like a new person: we can all but guarantee it! 

Sleep, sleep, sleep!

Now, we know that we started this article off by saying that these solutions won’t work for everyone and that some may not benefit from them as much as others. However, if there’s one thing that is proven to be helpful in improving the mental health of just about anyone, it’s getting enough sleep!

Sleep is arguably one of the most important factors in making sure you nurture and preserve your mental health. A person who sleeps well for the right amount of time will awake feeling energized and invigorated, ready to take on the day: those who don’t will fight off sluggishness and low energy until they fall into bed the following night.

If you want to avoid compounding your existing mental health issues and/or developing new ones, it’s important that you sleep well for the right amount of time. Too little sleep will leave you staving off fatigue and a lack of energy; getting too much sleep can have exactly the same adverse effects.

To avoid falling prey to this mental health peril, your best bet is to get on a regular sleep schedule. Set a predefined sleeping schedule and adhere to it. Go to bed on time and wake up on time. It’s not very complicated, but you may have difficulty adhering to it. Nevertheless, if you adhere to it you will see results. 

Conclusion

On a final note, we’d like to talk a bit about mental health and how important it is to maintain it. Mental health is something that has been stigmatized for centuries, but it shouldn’t be. If you’re struggling with your mental health, reach out to friends and family and, if necessary, a professional. In these trying times, we urge you not to hesitate to take steps towards mental wellness, regardless whether or not you feel you need it.

One thing that can help with feelings of depression, anxiety or stress is a change of scenery. If you feel like a change of living spaces might help, why not find a real estate agent and see what’s on the market in your area? With a bit of searching, you might find yourself moved into a new place in no time!