Humans are social beings. We crave to be around others, and isolation can take a toll on the mind. Anxiety, stress and even depression are completely valid responses to a global pandemic and having to self-isolate. Many people deal with depression and anxiety daily. However, if you or someone you care about are experiencing a decline in mental health during quarantine for the first time, there are many things you can do to cope.
1.) Exercise
This can be very helpful when trying to maintain mental health. Exercise releases mood improving chemicals in the body like serotonin. Exercises like yoga are especially helpful because they bring in deep breathing into your workout, which also helps reduce stress. Mental and physical health often go hand in hand.
If you’re able to, go for a walk. You’ll get sunlight and start to feel less trapped in the current situation.
2.) Socialize
Reach out to a friend. They are feeling as isolated and alone as you are. If you are uncomfortable with talking to a friend, there are many online counseling options such as 7cupsoftea, Betterhelp, Talkspace, or phone call counseling services through your local practitioner or college counseling service. Colorado Mesa University’s wellness center is currently offering counseling services over the phone.
Connecting with others can be extremely therapeutic and bring a sense of normalcy to your daily life.
3.) Create a schedule
A routine of some-sort is another way to find normalcy in your day to day life while social distancing. However, you don’t need to go overboard with a schedule and plan out every minute of your day. This schedule can be as simple as: get up, eat breakfast, get dressed for the day and then start working on class assignments. A routine can be as simple or as complicated as you want.
A schedule allows you to have a distinct separation between each day, but more importantly start to have a regular sleep routine.
4.) Limit your use of media
News media and social media aren’t always the most beneficial thing to our mental health. Often, news media can perpetuate our negative emotions surrounding an event. Limiting our exposure to news media during this time can help us focus on more positive productive things.
When your mental health is already not good, shifting your perspective to the positive can help. This is not always the easiest task, however limiting news intake is one way to lower those intrusive panicked thoughts.
5.) Find ways to practice self-care
For many people who have not dealt with a mental illness, self-care may be a foreign concept. It is often sensationalized by social media as treating yourself to a bath and a facemask. While this is selfcare for some people, there are many simple and cheap ways to take care of yourself. This can include meditation. If you don’t know where to start, there are apps like Headspace or Calm, as well as plenty of good meditations on YouTube. Journaling is another helpful practice for mental health, because it allows out to get your intrusive thoughts out of your head. Sometimes cleaning your room is even a needed measure of self-care.
This has been a difficult and traumatic time for many. However, this is only a moment in time, and it will come to pass. And until then it is helpful to control what we can by focusing on our mental and physical health.
