Tell me honestly, aren’t you tired of just being within the boundaries of your house? Or aren’t you completely frustrated with the things that surround you right now? Wouldn’t you just give anything to return to your life pre-covid?
I do understand that life right now isn’t how most of us had planned it to be, and trust me you’re not the only one feeling that way. But, while all of us wish this was just a nightmare - one that would end as soon as we woke up in the morning, let’s face the fact that it is definitely going to take many years ahead of us to recover from this jinxed year.
Dealing with these trivial issues and changes around us is mentally challenging. All of us are working twice as hard and are facing immense instability regarding the future. The pressure upon us has doubled and is insane. So it becomes more important to keep moving forward, while remaining sane and with good mental health.
So let us all observe a moment of silence for the endless “mummy ka lectures” that have fallen on our deaf ears (and continue to do so!) and resolve to listen to at least a few of them!
You need to first, start by keeping physically fit. Start an at-home exercise routine (No, moving your fingers on the TV remote does not count and no, lifting your hand in and out of the potato chip bag doesn’t count either !). Being active physically alerts the brain and remarkably increases productivity while reducing stress as well, as it releases happy hormones.
Second, try going out in nature as often as possible. Take a walk in the nearest park. This results in a change of scenery, removing the constant feeling of confinement we all have these days. Remember that having your ears glued to the phone or your eyes fixed on Netflix while in the park doesn’t count as time spent with nature!
Third, interact with other (real) people. While sitting in front of the screen and meeting deadlines is your current priority, take out time to talk to your loved ones. If that doesn't work your friends are a call away. All of us are going through a tough time, so sharing what is going on in each other’s life is beneficial as it lightens up your as well as their mind. So step out of your imaginary dreamland! wake up! and yes make that phone call !!
Fourth, Declutter your life. I don't mean just clean your room or the space around you. With that, drop those activities or routines that don’t bring you any joy (just like Marie Kondo says!), or they don't add to your personal growth (Yes, this includes time spent reading memes, surfing youtube and what not!). A lot of stress will automatically disappear if you just let go of what doesn't add to you.
Fifth, Build a routine (sad but true!). While all of us would like to sleep in every day as we don't have school or office to rush to, it is rather important to build a set time for everything (I hate giving up on my 4 pm baths !). Unstructured time only leaves people with one thing, i.e anxiety. The last thing any of us needs is more anxiety. So go ahead and download one of those daily timetables from the internet and plan your routine.
Sixth, pick up a new hobby. With everything now on the virtual platform, we can pick up anything under the sun to learn. Try learning a musical instrument, a dance form, a certain type of art, coding, well, the options are endless. This will definitely add to your personal growth and occupy the mind enough to avoid unnecessary negative thoughts.
Seventh, fix your diet. The consumption of junk food (Yes, I am talking about all the midnight maggie) would have definitely increased during the lockdown. But now that we know this lockdown situation is here to stay, it has become more so important to eat healthy. Replace the junk with healthier alternatives. Eating healthy massively benefits the body and even the mind.
Eighth, make corrections to the sleep schedule (sigh!). It is really important to get enough sleep and during the night (sigh, sigh!!). Most of us try to complete our sleep in portions during the day and then stay up the whole night doing something or the other(sigh, sigh, sigh!!!). This derails the body’s entire cycle, making us feel drained and lethargic all the time (ask me!). It is necessary to sleep for eight hours straight in order to feel energetic and well-rested throughout the day (I’m learning it!).
Ninth, choose to think positive.
It completely lies in our hands (or our minds!). If we let negative thoughts occupy our mind we are sure to feel anxious, uneasy and disturbed. While we can not entirely ignore thoughts that might trouble us, it is important to try and think positive.
Lastly, disconnect. This situation can get quite overwhelming. It is important to then disconnect from all social media and the internet for a while and just breathe. This will help open up the mind and will subsequently refresh you.
In the end, it is the “mummy ka lectures” that will save us! So shake up and get out of that endless loop! and P.S. DON’T tell mummy that you listened!!
Image courtesies:
- Canva
- FlexJobs
Comments