Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by admin
The year 2020 is written in history as one of the most difficult years in modern times. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were forced inside their homes with little to no physical contact with others for self-care. Uncertainty and fear overwhelmed many people. The confusion, feeling of disconnect, long work hours, and constant worry over your family and own health has left many individuals drained.
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How did COVID affect people?
COVID-19 has affected people in different ways. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tens of millions of people are affected by economic and social disruption. People all over the world are faced with these problems attributed to the pandemic through the following:
- Economic problems – The WHO noted that nearly half of the 3.3 billion members of the world’s workforce are at risk of losing their sources of income. The world’s economic activities were put to a halt as governments imposed lockdowns. Most vulnerable are people in informal economies who lack social protection and access to health care.
- Lack of food supply – The pandemic affected food systems because borders were closed, trade became more restricted, and governments imposed confinements to keep the virus from spreading. Farmers’ markets are severely affected because their products are perishable.
- Mental health problems – Another major problem that the pandemic brought is stress and mental health problems. Stress is a manifestation of how much you care about your health and the people around you, but because of the lockdown, you can be overcome by worries, fear, anger, sadness, and longing for social interaction.
How to Take Care of Yourself
It is normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed in these uncertain times. Your emotional responses to uncertainty are natural. However, helplessness, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness should not define you. There is no better time to embrace the celebration of life and its meaning than today. You can start getting in control by loving yourself. Here are some of the steps to take better care of your body, heart, and mind:
Physical Health
Your body is a vessel and all of the positive and negative things you feed it with will manifest in your physical health. Grow a strong and healthy body by following these things:
Eat healthily
A balanced diet with plenty of water can do wonders to the body. If you’ve been skipping vegetables and fruits while preferring fast food meals, now is the time to change your habits. Many people found solace in cooking during the lockdowns. Aside from unlocking a life skill, home-cooked meals are healthier since they are made from fresh ingredients.
Sleep well each night
An adult should sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours per day to be able to rest well. Sleeping well may seem impossible considering the stress that you are experiencing. To start, you can use a quality mattress from a mattress store in Oakville to achieve the sleep you’ve always wanted. Drink calming tea before sleeping and put your gadgets away at least an hour before hitting the sack.
Meditation is a good body and mind exercise
It helps you gain awareness of your body and the world around you. Learning to meditate is a skill, and like exercising your muscle, it should be done frequently to get comfortable with it. To effectively meditate, put on relaxing background music, add some essential oils to fill your room, and start feeling your surroundings.
Read More: How to Improve Your Mental Performance?
Sweat the Stress Out
Exercise every day even if you can’t go to the gym or take a walk outside. YouTube has thousands of exercise videos that you can follow while you are holed up at home.
Avoid Substance Abuse
Stay away from alcohol and drugs because they are destructive to your body and mind.
Time with Nature
Spend time in your garden — a simple installment of an irrigation system can do wonders. Toronto and other cities have hundreds of nature-loving sceneries that can relax your mind, your own backyard is one of them. Breathe some fresh air and let your body enjoy the wind and sun.
Mental Health
If your body needs care and attention, your mind needs it too. In fact, it is just as important as your body’s health. Here are 10 steps to keep your mental health in good condition:
- Make sure to establish a routine at home.
A sense of normalcy can help you cope better in isolation.- Focus on the things that you can control and let go of things that you can’t.
Everybody has an urge to get a grip of the situation and wrestle with desperation just so they can go back to how things were before the pandemic.
Here’s a fact — No one has control over the virus and its effects on the global scale but you are in charge of your life, your relationships, and your health. Focus on these things so you will be happier.
Maintain a good connection with your loved ones with the use of technology.
The way “Zoom meetings” became the word of mouth of many in the previous year says much about how important messaging platforms have become. Schedule those virtual parties and get-togethers so you can be connected while keeping everyone safe from the virus.
- Think happy thoughts.
Feed your mind with happy thoughts by sharing feel-good stories with family and friends. It doesn’t mean that you will lose touch with stories of pain and hardships, but in every opportunity, look for the stories that can make your heart happy. - Practice gratefulness to remind yourself with a sense of purpose in your daily activities.
You can try listing down the good things that made you happy within the day and train your mind to be grateful however small these things are. - Consume news from reliable and reputable media outlets and agencies to reduce the negativity seeping into your mind.
The truth that COVID has taken people away from their loved ones and caused misery to many is not to be taken for granted. However, make sure that the information that you find is true and reliable as misinformation is rampant online. - Read books and listen to your favourite songs to release happy hormones.
Reading keeps you busy while songs release the tensions in your body naturally.
- If you are in the position to help, do so.
Millions of people are suffering from hunger and depression but there are also millions of individuals who initiate programs to help them get through these tough times. If you have extra money, you can donate to charities to help those who are most affected by the pandemic.
If you have extra time, you can also help the efforts of organizations to provide support to others who are having a hard time coping up with the feelings of loneliness and anger brought about by the pandemic.
You can also lend your knowledge and skills to help others. For example, you can work with an SEO agency in Toronto, or any near you, to help small businesses gain their footing by helping them market online. - Express your love with less hesitation to foster better relationships with the people who are supporting you.
One of the lessons that this pandemic taught people is that they may not get a second chance to express their love. Regrets are hard to deal with so do not be held back by fears and let your family and friends know how thankful you are to have them. - Hold on to your faith and let it be your strongest pillar.
- You don’t have to be affiliated with religion to have faith that will sustain you through this crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting people even with the vaccines slowly rolling in, taking people a step closer to a new normal. Despite the uncertainties, many are still hustling. Even with the challenges, you can still take good care of yourself so you can also help others out of this difficult time.
Apart from that, if you are interested to know about Top tips for boosting your mental health then visit our Health category.
