As more and more people face the prospects of spending weeks or even months by themselves or with a limited social group, maintaining your mental health can be a challenge even on the best of days. Now more than ever, there should be a focus on improving mental health as anxiety, PTSD, and depression can result from these unprecedented situations. Here are a few tips to help you establish what your new normal looks like in a healthy way that will only benefit your overall wellness.
Create a Routine
Add some normalcy to your day by creating a routine. Your entire day doesn’t have to be completely planned out, but setting little goals for yourself such as changing out of your pajamas, making your bed, or even making small to-do lists to accomplish each day will help you feel more productive and bring a sense of success to your day.
Break Up Your Day
Keep yourself stimulated. Move to a different room to work every so often. Give yourself TV or reading breaks for getting a certain amount of work done. By making it seem like you’ve traveled around your home, you won’t get that cabin fever feeling that can lead to negative thoughts.
Take Care of Yourself
Eat as healthily or more so as you would normally, get a little exercise each day, or meditate for a few minutes. There’s no better time to practice some self-love than when you’re stuck alone or with a small number of people. Realize you’re worth the extra care you can give and treat yourself to something that will make the mind and body feel great.
Provide Help to Those In Need
If you aren’t at risk to do so, offer to run errands for those who cannot. Bake a meal for a neighbor or video chat with friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. Little gestures like that remind people of the good that can be found in the world. Not only will you spread some joy, but you never know when the favor might be returned.
Stay Connected
While you can’t physically spend time with others, that doesn’t mean you can’t connect with them. Video chat, virtual game nights, social distanced dinners with neighbors, or even a quick phone call can cheer up both you and those to whom you reach out.
Fight Boredom
Don’t feel guilty about catching up on all of those TV shows you’ve been anxious to binge watch. Read books or do puzzles, play video games. Finish those projects you never had time to complete before. These activities will help keep you both mentally and sometimes physically active, making it easier to maintain a positive outlook.
Focus On the Positives
There are tons of positive news outlets popping up due to the pandemic. Give yourself a dose of positivity everyday whether that’s with funny animal videos, comics, or simply reading about good things going on in the world. By focusing on what is going well around you, you can put up armor against any anxiety that may arise.