Taking Care of Your Mental Health – With the recent lockdown and isolation restrictions in place, Mental Health issues have become very much talked about concerns.
Whether you’re social distancing or self-isolating you may be feeling more anxious or stressed at home during this time, and that’s completely normal.
It takes a while to become adjusted to our new lifestyle regimes and will affect each and every one of us in a unique way. For those living alone, with family or in a relationship we will have different hurdles to overcome.
There are a number of ways to help this process through self-help which we have outlined below:
Communication – Connect with friends and family and keep communicating. A phone call or text is a starting point allowing you to open and build upon this communication line.
There are now numerous ways to reach out digitally through WhatsApp, Skype, Facebook and now Zoom seems to be making a huge impact on our lives with online meetings, classes and conference calling.
Use online therapy – Living with your partner and being together 24/7 for many can be a huge adjustment, especially if you both generally go out to work and lead your own social lives. Finding your own space at home, helps and routines can also be comforting, allowing you to continue to appreciate one another in the times you are in one another’s space. If you are finding your relationship challenging seek help online here https://www.regain.us/advice/therapist/free-online-therapy-could-save-your-relationship/
Exercise Daily – The Government in the UK are recommending that we can still go out for exercise once a day and physical and mental health and undeniably linked, so it’s important to stay active. Walking or cycling to the shops, the park, green spaces or around the block will all help clear your mind, allowing you a little piece of wellness time to yourself. If you do venture out, do consider the expectations of social distancing and stay safe.
In addition, why not try one of the many virtual exercise classes online at home. Invite one of your friends to link up too, and you have an ideal way to keep connected as well as fit.
Keep busy – it is vital to be mentally active as well as physical. There are plenty of magazines available containing brain teasers, crosswords and puzzles which can be fun whilst keeping the grey matter at bay.
The classic board games will always be family favourites, Monopoly, Battleships, Cluedo, Scrabble even Dominoes and Bingo has its place in our household.
If you are playing solo or with a group, playing cards will always be a firm favourite. Rummy, Poker, Hearts and if you are out of ideas, there are plenty of instructions online for new card games if you wish to enhance your knowledge.
Express yourself by being creative – online courses have become incredibly popular with a mixed variety for fascinating creative classes available. Yodomo covers a huge selection of classes from basket weaving to bookbinding, even British Handbag Designer Nadia Minkoff is now offering creative jewellery kits available for home delivery to keep your creativity alive.
Gardening – sitting, pottering, planting, planning new projects, if you are fortunate to have one, a garden is certainly a place of sanctuary, positivity and optimism. There is no better time to be sowing a few seeds and watching nature take its course for adults and children alike. If a garden is unavailable a window box, indoor pots or air plants can be just as satisfying.
Plants engage us all at a very basic level, tapping into our need to nurture and care for other living things, it gives us something to watch, a talking point with an end result to look forward to.
Lilly Light