Lockdown and mental health
Yes, we are all tired of the pandemic, and many feel nauseous about the possible new lockdown. We may not have to do this for the last time.
The problem is that the restrictions put in place to contain the pandemic seem to be designed to harm our mental well-being by taking away the activities we enjoy. Since there is no improvement in the world situation, it has a devastating effect on our mental health, causing stress and anxiety.
What to do if new stricter restrictions are introduced? We must first pay attention to our mental health.
The purpose of this post is to provide solutions on how to be mentally strong in uncertain situations, such as the present time.
Mental wellbeing
The characteristics of good mental well-being are as follows:
* You feel that your life has a purpose and meaning
* You feel in the role of a decision maker
* You feel that you are developing as a person
* You feel that you are coping well with your life
* You have good relationships with loved ones
* You know yourself well
Under normal conditions, everyday living conditions allow us to maintain our good mental well-being without excessive extra effort. Everyday activities bring joy, such as positive conversations with colleagues, meeting new people, enjoying the nightlife, visiting the cinema or theater, traveling, etc.
Until these ordinary activities were forbidden to us, we did not notice how much they actually brought us joy and contributed to our mental well-being. Thelockdown and its limitations prevent us from enjoying ordinary activities. When something that used to be so accessible is taken away from us, we feel like a prisoner. Therefore, it is important to protect your mental well-being in order not to allow external factors to cause stress, anxiety or insomnia.
Below we suggest some solutions to take care of your mental well-being.
Create a new habit
The best new habit is something related to health – physical or mental health. Persistence and purpose are essential when creating a new habit. First, set a goal for yourself, such as walking 10,000 steps every day. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health these days. You could set goals for example: meditate for 5 minutes every day or try breathwork every single day. You can read more about breathwork here. Set easy-to-achieve goals and celebrate small daily victories. That’s the only way a small challenge becomes a daily habit and that’s the only way we reach big goals.
Invest in good relationships
Despite the new restrictions that make it difficult to meet people, maintain your relationships through modern technology tools. Yes, we’re all tired of sitting in Zoom or Teams day after day, but don’t stop communicating with your loved ones because of it. We are all fed up with this situation, at least we cheer each other up!
Maintain independence
Constantly working from home and following various restrictions can make us feel like we are no longer our own masters. Despite everything, how can you feel that you still have some freedom of decision in your life? Focus on things you can control. For example, you can control how much time you spend per day reading the news, how healthy you decide to eat or how you organize your time use.
When working in a home office, you might lose yourself. Agree with yourself what time you wake up, what time you perform important activities and how you spend your free days.
Keep your life organized
Being organized has a good effect on mental well-being. For example, waking up and getting dressed at the same time in the morning. Change your clothes even if you work from a home office. It helps to distinguish when it is time to do work and when it is time to rest.
Analyze yourself
Take the opportunity and get to know yourself better. Analyze your strengths and learn to appreciate them. Focus on your strengths because they help keep your mental well-being positive and help you come out stronger from any difficult situation.
