7 tips to maintain your mental health during the pandemic
UnravelingIt’s safe to say that we are living through an unprecedented, turbulent time, with the stress of lockdown and restrictions getting to all of us.
How we react to the situation will have a deep and lasting effect on our mental health. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, worried, stressed, anxious, emotional, or exasperated, you are by no means alone.
Here I look at seven tips and tricks to help you maintain your mental and emotional health during the times of Corona.
1) Be gentle and don’t beat yourself up
Whatever you’re feeling right now, it’s okay. You’re allowed to feel upset or anxious. You’re allowed to want to curl up into a ball and stay there – we all feel the same! This is an extremely unstable time, so be kind and compassionate with yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling a certain way. We will all have good and bad days, so it’s important not to add the guilt factor on top of what you’re already struggling with.
Are there emotions that you know you’re guilty of masking or ignoring? Maybe every time you feel angry you brush it off with, ‘No, it’s fine’ or when you feel overwhelmed you tell yourself you’re exaggerating?
During times like now, sweeping our true feelings under the carpet can be quite damaging. Doing so allows them to bubble under the surface at the best of times, so now with the stress and worry of lockdown-life, they will fester even more strongly.
What can you do instead? Acknowledge ALL your emotions, thoughts and behaviours. If you want to cry or scream, do it. If you want to flip between nervous hysteria and overwhelming sobs, go ahead! Let your emotions run their natural course through your body and mind and don’t suppress them. Allowing each one in will help you become more informed and resourceful about your mental health. What you are going through is valid. It is valid for you.
2) Keep yourself calm
While it’s important we address and accept our emotions, it’s also important that we keep ourselves calm. This is the time we need to self-regulate. Take time each day – or even each hour, if needed – to have some deep breaths and focus on allowing a feeling of calmness to flow over you. Engage your breathing and turn your thinking from anxious and panicked to tranquil and soothing. Workout, meditate, reflect, watch your favourite show/movie, listen to music, dance, cook, sleep, laugh. Do what you need to do to help you re-centre.
4) Reach out to your support system
Never be afraid to reach out for help. Lean into your community – that’s what they’re there for. Stay connected with those around you and ask for help whenever you need it. We’re all in this together, so don’t fret about ‘burdening someone with your problems’. A problem shared is a problem halved, and in the process of reaching out to your support system you may even encourage someone else to do the same.
5) Do not compare yourself with others
Now is not the time to start comparing yourself and what you’re going through with those around you. We all have our own way of dealing with struggles and our own pace of processing things. It is unique to us, so what works for you won’t always work for others. Do not make social media your point of reference of reality. The perfectionism culture on social media doesn’t exist and following it can be very toxic to our mental health. Instead, block out the noise, internal and external, the shoulds, the need and have-tos and just focus on your own wellbeing
6) Limit the amount of news you watch
When we’re going through uncertain times it’s natural for us to want to be as informed as possible. But following the daily news through the pandemic can actually do a lot of harm, stressing our nervous system and leaving us in a constant state of alertness and alarm. Limit the amount of times you allow yourself to check news updates and always remember that sometimes things are heightened in the media. Unfortunately, being calm and in control doesn’t sell newspapers!
7) Remember you have a choice
There are so many things we can’t control during the pandemic and returning to ‘normal life’ is a choice that has sadly been taken out of our hands. But we need to remember that everything relating to our personal journey and development is controlled by us. We have a choice how we react, respond, act and show up. When you realise that you’re in charge of all of your emotions and behaviours you stop feeling so unstable and start to realise you are still the driver of your own reality – even if that reality is currently different to what we are used to.
Keeping up with our mental wellbeing is paramount in these unstable times. One thing I like to do to help re-centre is to recite the Serenity Prayer in the mornings: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Hopefully these steps will help you remain at peace, feel stronger and become more connected.
With love,
Salma xoxo
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