Seven Ways to take care of your mental health during the lockdown period

With the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and cries for social distancing ringing out loud across social media platforms, the news of the Coronavirus outbreak has adversely impacted the emotional and mental health of individuals.

Anxiety and stress levels have witnessed a marked increase across the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also acknowledged the rising stress among the population, which is affecting the mental and psychosocial wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lockdown and self-isolation are triggering our emotions, making us feel anxious or stressed. While these feelings are completely normal because of the unprecedented circumstances we are in, it is essential to curb its impact on us both emotionally and physically.

How to protect your mental health in this situation?

If you are looking for ways to keep yourself busy and stay positive and relaxed over the lockdown period, here are a few things you could try over the coming weeks.

1. Manage your stress threshold proactively

Try to lay a strong foundation for your mental health and wellbeing by prioritizing your sleep and exercising good sleep habits (for example, maintaining your wake-up and sleep routine). Have a healthy diet. Exercise: it will reduce your stress levels, help you regulate your emotions better, and improve your sleep.

2. Practice proper routine

It helps manage anxiety and helps you to adapt faster to this current reality. Create clear differences between work and non-work time, ideally in both your physical and headspace. Try to find something that doesn’t work and isn’t related to viruses that bring you joy. Working with clear breaks within a short period will help to maintain your clarity of thinking.

3. Try not to make assumptions

Do not judge people, and avoid jumping to conclusions as to who is responsible for disease spreading. Coronavirus can affect anyone, irrespective of sex, ethnicity, or gender.

4. Talk to family and friends

While some of us are living through this lockdown with our families, many of us are not. We are away from home, and the situation is getting the worst of us. So, pick up your phone and talk to your parents, friends, or loved ones. They must be as anxious as you are, but sharing your thoughts will make you feel much lighter and less lonely. Video call your friends and share a laugh or two. It’s also one of the best times to connect with the friends you’ve lost touch with. Connecting, even if it’s virtual, sharing thoughts, feelings, and a whole lot of gossips, can reduce the stress considerably.

5. Consult our experts if you find yourself mentally low

If you feel mentally low, anxious, afraid, which might be a prevalent thing because of the current situation, then you may consult with our psychologists for expert advice. They can guide you better in dealing with these harsh circumstances. Some of our renowned and experienced Psychologists are Ruhi Satija and Chirag Jain. Scheduling a Telemedicine appointment through our platform is very easy and simple as well. PatientMD is 24*7, actively helping the patient in receiving better and advanced care.

6. Embrace video calling

Many of us may like messaging, but you can’t beat a face-to-face conversation with someone. While this may not be possible for most at the moment, by alternative means, you can still keep in touch with your loved ones and ditch the texts in favor of video calls. Use the services for video calling to keep in touch with those you love.

7. Escape in entertainment

Escape from reality for a particular period every day, in the form of films, books, or your favorite TV shows. Use your time at home to finally give that stack of books your attention and delve into a world of storytelling, or make the most of online streaming services and relax on the sofa while watching a new series or film.

That is probably going to be a stressful time for us all. We can protect ourselves and those around us by taking good measures for mental health and wellbeing, and relying on others when necessary. So stay indoors, stay safe, breathe, and connect over social media!