Every time we are exposed to a crisis situation, our system is activated, we become stressed, we become more alert to our surroundings and this generates mood swings, repetitive thoughts and increased stress, anxiety and anguish. All this is normal when we face situations like the current one with the coronavirus, a global pandemic as catalogued by the World Health Organization WHO.
How can we take care of our mental health in this context… this issue is fundamental. Of course we have to take the necessary precautions in terms of our hygiene and social isolation, however, this situation also has an important effect on our sense of well-being, anxiety levels and the outbreak of a series of mental health conditions, which if we do not take care of ourselves, can trigger other types of diseases that are best prevented.
For this reason, I want to share with you five tips to take care of our mental health while the coronavirus passes, which I leave you below:
1. Avoid overexposure to information that may alter us or generate higher levels of anxiety and anguish, such as news or internet content. It has been studied that people who consume more content of this type have higher levels of anxiety, fear and are more likely to suffer panic attacks, acute anxiety or depression.
2. Implement a routine with varied activities within the day, allowing us to put our minds on different things. Time to be with the family at home, watch a movie, play family games, have time to read or write, play sports, are some activities that will help us not to be all the time thinking about one thing and increasing our stress level. It is ideal that every 90 minutes we are with our mind on something else to avoid boredom and stress.
3. Taking care of sleep also plays an important role in mental health. Therefore, sleeping at a prudent time and starting the day early in the morning, taking care to have between seven and eight hours of sleep, will help our system to work as balanced as possible, avoiding sleeplessness or poor quality of rest.
4. Spending more time at home in this context, increases anxiety, so we tend to eat more and things rich in sugars, this will not only have an effect on increasing our body weight, but also does not allow the body to function optimally, increasing the likelihood of being more irascible and generate tense situations with other people. One way to take care of our mental well-being and that of the people around us is to keep our body well hydrated and properly nourished.
5. Having an instance in which we can talk in a respectful way and welcoming the feelings of each of the people in the family, will be of great help to our level of well-being. Talking in a welcoming space without feeling judged helps us to relieve our emotions and takes care of our mental health, especially in the context of a health crisis such as the one we are experiencing at the moment.
Self-care is fundamental, and this goes beyond washing our hands to avoid getting sick or infecting others with the coronavirus, that is why I also invite you to take measures to take care of your mind and your emotions, so that we can get through this situation in the best possible way, and allow us to reflect, learn about ourselves and come out stronger.