Mental Health - Lockdown Edition
Lockdowns aren't easy, and they definitely take their toll on our mental health. Luckily for you, I have saved you all the time and energy of searching for the mental health hacks yourself and I have compiled it all below. Enjoy! (p.s share this blog with your friends to help them out too!)
Exercise - Run, Walk Or... Dance!
It is no secret that exercise helps to improve your mental health. I am a firm believer that exercise is the #1 way to look after your mental health, especially during a lockdown. A healthy body is a healthy mind. Exercise helps your body to release endorphins which will put you in a good mood for the day. Plus exercise helps relieve the boredom and stress of being stuck in your room all day. Go for a run or a walk around your locality to blow off the cobwebs and get some fresh air. Even if your exercise takes place inside, like doing some TikTok dances during your lunch break, it will still help the release of endorphins and put you in a great mood. Check out these great exercises you can do with no equipment needed!
Eat Well
Maintaining a balanced diet during lockdown is tough. It is easy to slip into the habit of ordering takeaway a little too often - it is one of the only treats we have left after all. Try your best to avoid overindulging on snack foods and takeaways, these will only make you feel worse in the long run. A better idea is to fuel your body with healthy alternatives and ensure you get your 5 a day. Try out this easy salad which always puts me in a good mood. This will really boost your energy and you will notice the difference in your mood. If you're not feeling like cooking, Check out this blog for tasty and nutritious local food.
Communication
Communication is key to mental health, during and out of lockdown. Firstly, communicating with your friends and family helps you to know that you are not alone and that others might be feeling down and anxious about the whole lockdown situation too. Also, a little bit of interaction with other people throughout the day goes a long way towards good mental health. It is not a good idea to isolate yourself away from everyone for days at a time, try to have at least a 10 minute conversation with someone you live with everyday. If you want to talk to your friends and they are outside your 5km, try arranging a Zoom call and you can even play games together like Skribbl or Chess.
Relax - Try Meditation
This is a tricky one. You might be fooling yourself into thinking you are relaxing when you actually aren’t. Your day can be surprisingly busy despite the fact that we are all stuck at home. Do your best to leave your desk and relax for at least 30 minutes every day. Meditation is a great way to relax and your mental health will be all the better for it. Check out this guided meditation video I use, it only takes 10 minutes and you'll fell more relaxed after it.
We are all probably spending enough time in front of a screen for work or college, so try to avoid just throwing on some Netflix and try out mindfulness and meditation.
Make A Routine - And Stick To It!
Sticking to a routine is easier said than done, especially when you may not have to physically go anywhere or do anything. However, it is still important to make a routine and have some structure on your day. Having this structure on your day will give you a greater sense of purpose and a sense of achievement when you complete parts of your routine. A good place to start is making your bed at the start of the day. It is a simple and quick task but gets your day off to a good start with that initial sense of accomplishment. You can find some great daily routine planners here.
It is also a good idea to schedule in exercise time and relaxation time into your schedule. For best results, try to be consistent with your bed time and waking up time. This will give your body the consistency it craves and will help you sleep better. A very useful app for helping with your sleep is Headspace.
If you are finding lockdown particularly tough or just want someone to talk to, there is a list of services available here.
Now you have the secrets to looking after your mental health during lockdown. Leave a comment below and let us know how you are looking after your mental health. Share this blog with your friends so they can look after their mental health during lockdown too!
For more tips on how to survive lockdown, check out the blogs below!
