Life has changed for all of us in recent months due to COVID-19 mobility restrictions. Many of us spend much more time at home, studying or working.

In this situation some of us are likely suffering from stress or anxiety problems, among others.

That is why we bring you some tips and recommendations to keep you mentally healthy, because it is as important to be well on the outside as it is on the inside. As the Roman poet Juvenal said: "mens sana in corpore sano".

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

First, we will come up with some general everyday things that are basic for mental wellbeing during this time:

• Eat healthy. A balanced diet can improve your mood and increase your energy.
  
  
• Exercise. It will boost your energy levels and help you sleep and feel better.
  
  
• Maintain a regular sleep routine: having a routine for your sleep helps you to sleep better. This is a very important part for our wellbeing. Problems with sleeping can lead to anxiety and depression.
  
  
• Reduce alcohol and drugs consumption. Sometimes we use alcohol or drugs to deal with our problems. However, this can cause more problems in the long term, especially in this situation where we spend much more time at home, and it is easier to start doing it regularly due to the lack of other activities.
  
  
• Connect with other people. Because of the restrictions we cannot see face to face with many of our loved ones. Therefore, it is a good idea to regularly meet online with your friends and family, which is always a mood boost. This is a good occasion to express your feelings and find support.
  
  
• Do something you enjoy. Nowadays many of our favourite activities are prohibited. Anyway, there are many new activities you can try, taking advantage of the situation. You may find a new hobby that you never imagined before. 
  
  
• Invest time in yourself. Spending so much time at home can cause us to spend more time working and trying to be as productive as possible. However, it is essential that we do not get stuck and have time for ourselves every day.
  
  

As we have already said, these are just general recommendations that everybody should comply with, as they are the basis for a good mental health.

Now we are going to talk about some techniques and tricks that can be very useful to relax and manage our stress and anxiety.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Mindfulness is a technique that enables us to focus on the present moment, be aware of our body, where we are and stop thinking about external stuff. Normally, we spend most of our time thinking about the past or planning our future. Mindfulness helps to leave those thoughts aside and “resetting” our brain. In a way, we take a moment to liberate ourselves from our thoughts. This is a skill that all of us have, we just need to learn how to access it.

Here are some examples of mindfulness meditation:

-         The raisin exercise (5 minutes)

This one is great for beginners, as it requires to use all the senses one by one. The only thing you will need is a raisin. Find a comfortable place and relax for a moment. Now start by looking at the raisin, focus on its details, the colour, the shade, everything you find for a while. Next, think about how it feels in your hand, the texture. You can do it with your eyes closed. After that, smell the raisin, concentrate on its fragrances and how it makes you feel. Put the raisin in your mouth and before chewing it, feel it on your tongue. Start eating it in small bites and concentrate on the taste and the sounds that you make while chewing. Finally, once you have swallowed the raisin, take a moment to notice how your body feels after this exercise.

-         Body scan exercise (20-30 minutes)

For this exercise, you will lie on your back or sit in a comfortable chair. You must be comfortable as you will not move. Close your eyes. First, become aware of your breath, you should not change the rhythm, just be aware. Next focus on your toes, what you feel in that part of the body. Then you can move to the feet, the legs, your stomach... Stay at least one minute scanning for sensations in every part of the body. Once you have scanned all your body, try to feel how all your body is connected and accept whatever sensation this brings you. Once you are ready, open your eyes while you continue focusing on your breath. Look around you and when you feel you are done, stand up.

-         Walking meditation (10-15 minutes)

Before starting you will need to find a quiet place where you can walk and nobody can bother you. This does not have to be very long as you can go back and forth. Outdoors is preferable but you can also do it indoors.

To start, take a minute to focus on your body and breathe deeply. Notice how you feel. Now you can start walking slowly. A slow pace is recommended, as well as maintaining a good posture. In this exercise, the focus is on your feet and legs, on how you are moving. Analyze your steps: how you lift your foot, you move it forward, it contacts the ground again, how you shift your weight to that leg, then you lift your other foot... and this repeats for every step. When you have been sensing your steps for some minutes you can expand your attention and start paying attention to sounds, smell and vision. Become fully aware of your surroundings. When you feel like finishing stop for a moment and breathe deeply before ending the meditation. Think about extending this sensation for the rest of the day.

These are just some examples so you can see how mindfulness is like. If you want to get to know it more deeply here are some recommendations:

Books

• Summary of Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
• The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 minutes a day to less stress, more peace
• A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled
• I Am Here Now: A creative mindfulness guide and journal

Websites

• Greater Good in Action Science-bases Practices for a Meaningful Life curated by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
• Mindful

Apps

• The Mindfulness App
• Headspace
• Calm

YOGA

Yoga is a technique originated in India that is based on strength, flexibility and breathing exercises to improve physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga deals with our multi-dimensional nature: body, breath and mind are considered as one. Through the techniques, it enhances this union intending to reach internal peacefulness, self-awareness, and happiness.

The principal benefit of yoga is that it helps to manage stress, which affects us physically and mentally in our daily life. It can be a very useful technique for coping with this pandemic situation and looking on the bright side of life.

Practicing yoga regularly produces a feeling of calm, helps to clear the mind, focus attention, and improve concentration. Many studies conclude that yoga can have benefits for many types of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD or schizophrenia. By reducing stress, it also reduces our physical excitation, lowers the heart rate and blood pressure and improves respiration.

Recommended sources where you can learn more about yoga and start practicing it:

Books

• Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga
• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• Yoga: A Manual for Life
• Strong, Calm and Free: A modern guide to yoga, meditation and mindful living

Websites

• How does Yoga work? - MedicalNewsToday
  

  Here you will find more information about Yoga history, philosophy and the different existing types.

Apps

• Daily Yoga
• Glo
• Gaia

ONLINE COURSES

Online courses can also be a very useful tool to gain knowledge on how to manage stress and anxiety. We have listed the best courses to learn how to control your emotions and improve your mental health.

1. Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19 (Coursera)
   

   The purpose of this course is to help understand anxiety relating it to some aspects of our life as news consumption or the way we talk our children about this pandemic situation. It will also provide you with strategies for managing and even eliminating anxiety, at least for short periods.

2. The Science of Well-Being (Coursera)
   

   This course includes some challenges that will help you increase your happiness and start building more productive habits

3. Stress Management: 40+ easy ways to deal with stress (Udemy)
   

   This is a highly practical course where you will analyse stress, where it comes from, what it causes in your body, and the different existing types. After that, it provides 4 different strategies for dealing with stress and for each type it gives 10 examples. In addition, you can give your own ideas as the course is a co-creation.

4. Becoming a Resilient Person - The Science of Stress Management (edX)
   

   By taking this course you will acquire knowledge and skills to apply in your life so you can become a resilient person. Resilience is the ability to adapt in challenging circumstances and to apply the positive strategies and routines that enable you to live happily.

5. The Complete Stress & Anxiety Breakthrough Programme (Udemy)
   

   This course is about embracing stress and making it our ally. It is a guide on how to effectively manage stress, so that you can improve your professional and social relations.

SUPPLEMENTS

If you are having problems sleeping or feeling down some of these supplements might be useful for you.

1. Melatonin
   
   

   Melatonin is a hormone that affects sleep. Its production increases when it is dark and decreases when there is more light. It helps the body to know when it is time to sleep, and when to wake up. Melatonin is used for sleep disorders like insomnia or jet lag and, unlike other supplements, it does not generate dependence. It reduces the time it takes you to fall asleep. Melatonin is available in pharmacies and the most common type is a tablet taken orally

2. Vitamin D
   
   

   Because of restrictions and working and studying from home, most of us are getting less sunlight than at other times. This situation may lead to Vitamin D deficiency, which can cause osteoporosis, fractures in the bones and if it is severe it can also lead to other diseases. Vitamin D is also necessary for mood regulation, as well as for nerve and brain health.

   Vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium which is necessary to maintain healthy bones. It also plays a major role in our nervous, muscular and immune systems. The body generates Vitamin D when the skin receives sunlight and reacts with a chemical. To supplement with this vitamin, you could take multivitamins in which it is present or just buy Vitamin D tablets at your local pharmacy.

3.  Omega 3
   
   Omega-3 fatty acids are present in blue fish, especially in the oil obtained from them, and lately, it is being used as a nutritional supplement. The deficiency of these acids can damage the structure and functions of the brain, generating a risk of suffering depression. Omega-3 is essential for the correct functioning of serotonin, EPA (one of the acids) helps brain cells to release serotonin to stimulate surrounding brain cells and DHA (another acid) helps the serotonin to be received. Some clinical studies suggest that Omega-3 could be used to reduce depression and anxiety. This supplement is commonly sold as pills filled with fish oil.
   
   
4. L-Theanine
   
   L-theanine is a compound found in green and black tea. According to several studies, L-theanine may improve mental concentration and sleep quality, reduce stress response, and boost our mood. It acts mainly in three ways. It increases levels of brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine which regulate emotions, sleep, appetite and other cognitive processes. L-theanine also reduces other chemical levels related to stress and anxiety. The third effect is amplifying alpha brainwaves, which enhance focus, relaxation and creativity.
   
   We recommend introducing L-theanine in your diet with green or black tea as it is the most natural way, but as many people do not like the taste of tea, there are also supplements in the form of powder or pills.

Here ends the post, I hope you have found it useful and that you can apply these tips to improve your mental health in these strange times. Remember that these are only tips, if you feel you need help do not hesitate to seek professional advice.

If you liked it, I would be grateful if you could share it with someone who could use it. Feel free to leave your opinions and advice so that we can all help each other. 😉