Have you been feeling anxious and lost during the quarantine period? Here we have some tips for you to feel better and make the most out of it!
The COVID-19 has brought to the world significant changes in our ways of living, at least for a while. Instead of doing our daily activities in different places, we must stay home to help flatter the infection curve due to the huge contagious rate – according to WHO orientations.
But unlike many of us could imagine, staying at home might not be an easy task. Some of us might need to adapt our work or study routine to a new space or find new activities for our free time. But as social animals, it is normal if all of us end up feeling anxious without contact with the world outside for so long (even if you are a stay home club kind of person!).
We made this guide to help you adapt to this challenge. Here you will find:
- Tips to keep a routine
- Home office practices
- How to use your time to self-development
- Mental health advice
KEEPING A ROUTINE
Have been you feeling tired and sleepy as if you were jet-lagged? Keeping a routine can help you track your time and activities. Here are some tips:
- Create a morning routine
I usually get annoyed every time I open a Medium article about “10 things you need to do in your morning routine” and the first topic is: make your bed. It might seem obvious that we need to keep our bed clean, but this is very good advice. This step makes you understand that sleep time is over and gives a feeling of accomplishment right at the beginning of your day. Some other things you can do: have a good breakfast, exercise, make a to-do list, read the news, listen to a podcast. Anything that helps your body and mind understands that a new day has begun.
- Set time for your activities
Under normal conditions, we usually have time to do everything like waking up, going to school or work, coming home etc. The best choice, for now, is keeping your schedule. Wake up and go to bed in your regular time, don’t stay up watching Netflix until late if this is not something you used to do. Use the hours when you used to be in your office or classes to do the same at home. Some people have been saying “it seems I’m working even more now”. This step helps you to know when you should start working and when you should stop. You don’t procrastinate but don’t work more than you need to, just remember to schedule little breaks and lunchtime.
- Enjoy your commuting time
Used to waste a lot of time between home and work? Enjoy it now! You can relax, read a book, learn something new. Further in this post, you will find tips to use this time to self-development.
- Night Routine
Just as important as having a way to begin your day, it is telling your body when it’s time to stop. So keep a night routine with more relaxed activities until its time to go to bed.
HOME OFFICE PRACTICES
- Change your clothes
Remember we talked about giving hints to your body that the day has begun? Changing your PJs is a very good step. The good part about the home office is that you can keep your outfit as comfortable as possible!
- If you can, work somewhere else but not in your bedroom
Home office doesn’t mean working from your bed unless you want to have backaches during all isolation periods. Set a clean and organized space to work and study. It will be even better if you can do it in your kitchen or dining room, so you will not have so many distractions.
- Cut off distractions
To avoid wasting all your time on Instagram, set times where you can check social media, remove unnecessary apps from your phone and turn off notifications. If you live with someone else, it’s important to let people know that during that period you won’t be available for other activities. If you can focus, it will be easier to go through.
SELF-DEVELOPMENT
Don’t know what to do with the extra time you still have on your schedule? Use it to learn a new skill, make an online course or read that book it is on your list for so long. Besides helping you to improve yourself and skills, keeping yourself busy helps your brain to get distracted from anxious thoughts! Many companies have been offering free courses and services for people to enjoy during the next months. Check some of the links below:
- Adobe is Giving Everyone 2 Months of Free Creative Cloud
- Green Fox Academy is offering a free coping course
- eDX offers free online courses from a large range of subjects
- Class Central offers biology courses from the world’s most famous universities
MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE
Social isolation and uncertain moments can bring a lot of bad feelings to our minds and hearts. We shared the tips above as an attempt to make days easier for you. But we know it might need more to control the anxiety, so here is some advice to deal with it:
- Accept the feeling
Understand that feeling overwhelmed and worried it’s common under the current scenario. You are not alone in this.
- Try meditation and breathing exercises.
In our daily life, it’s normal that we breathe through our chest, instead of using our diaphragm – the proper organ to this activity. Breathe correctly helps oxygen get to all the parts of our body, including our brain, and manage our heartbeats. Taking care of our body is a crucial step for reducing anxiety levels. Try to take 10 minutes of your day to close your eyes and focus on your breathing. If feels hard to make it by yourself, you can use apps like Headspace and Calm to provide help.
- Journalling/write down your thoughts
A habit usually recommended by therapists to track our feelings. Writing helps externalize our anguish and deal with it more easily. Also, the action of making our thoughts concrete brings an instantaneous feeling of relief.
- Cook a new recipe or do any manual activities
Make something that helps you disconnect and be creative. Painting, embroidering, gardening and baking are some examples.
- Exercise and drink water!
A pretty obvious but important one. Stay healthy, eat properly to make your immune system stronger. Remember to follow all recommendations by WHO, so wash your hands, keep social distancing and stay home as much as possible.
- Keep contact with your friends and family.
Social isolation gets easier if you remain in touch with your loved ones. Make video calls to see everyone and check if they’re doing well.
- Stay informed and don’t panic
Use social media for good quality content is also self-care. Stay informed about the situation in the world and what you can do to help. Don’t believe in everything and use reliable sources. Follow pages with the good news that can bring joy to your days. Remember that you still can leave your home for grocery shopping and a walk with your dog, for example.
- Be grateful
It might be hard to imagine what we should be grateful for now. Being able to stay at home is something to be thankful for. Let’s also recognize all people and professionals who are working to help our communities: healthcare professionals, scientists, grocery store employees, delivery workers, public safety professionals and everyone else who is providing basic needs to society.
Leadership is also about taking responsibility for yourself and those around. Staying home is the most responsible action you can take right now. Keep up with Aiesec in Hungary on Instagram to know more about COVID-19 situation and how to deal with it.
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