According the brilliant Paul M Willette MD, one of the most important things for us to do during this current lockdown is to look after our mental wellbeing, more so than ever before. The great doctor knows what he is talking about here and you only need to look at the research around the mental health of prison inmates to see just how affected the mind can be when under closed-in conditions. To ensure that you remain in good mental condition in the wake of the global pandemic, here are some tips which will keep things evenly balanced.
Physical Exercise
Physical health and mental health go hand in hand and that is why it is essential that you understand the importance of looking after yourself physically. Under normal circumstances you would be burning many calories simply by living each day, which now you will not be burning. For this reason it is essential that you do whatever you can to replace that, in order to give your body every chance of staying in shape, which in turn will help your mental wellbeing.
Social
Your emotional health and mental wellbeing will be in a state of shock at the moment based on the big changes that it is going through, and the lack of social contact will be playing a key role in that. Humans are social creatures and when that has been taken way from us there is a big chance that it can have a negative impact on your mental wellbeing. To remedy this it is important that you do as much as you can to stay in touch with friends and family through social media, through messaging apps and through video call sites like Skype and Zoom.
Meditation
If you have never meditated before then now is the perfect time to get into the practice as it is a wonderful tool for mental wellbeing and health, it also offers a wide range of mental health benefits such as increased focus, concentration, organization and lower stress levels. Meditation is simple, all you need is a quiet space where you can sit down upright, and speed 15 minutes focusing on deep breathing and introspection. If you cant do it at first then don’t worry, keep practicing and you’ll get there.
Games
Something which is very important both for making it through the lockdown and for your mental wellbeing is having fun and that is why it is important to try and get involved with some games. If you are in lockdown with other people then allocate one night of the week to play some games, if however you are on your own then there are many live quiz and game nights on YouTube and social media which you can join in with.
Remember that during these tough times, it is important that you take care and focus on your mind, your body and your soul.
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