Staying at home may sound like a relaxing choice. This idea is one that most parents or families wanted to do before the coronavirus pandemic. However, tables have probably turned. After parents experienced having their kids around 24/7, staying at home is now something that seemed to be a really challenging task.
Aside from being a daunting task, staying at home has caused an alarming effect in the mental health of some. The social isolation has brought stress, made people anxious and worried.
There are different factors that cause this stress. It is either the financial instability due to the loss of job, or health issues of the people close to the family.
Experts say that the best way to address any mental health issues is to seek professional help.
If doing so is not yet an option, here are some ways on how to maintain one's mental health while staying at home:
1. To Maintain Mental Health, Stay Connected
Even if you are stuck at home and have been drowning from too many tasks, staying connected with friends and relatives can help you keep your cool. Although there are no physical visits, settling with phone calls or video conferences will do for now. Keeping connections like this can help one feel that they are not alone during this crisis.
2. While staying at home, take breaks (even from the news)
Although things may sound really overwhelming in the house, taking a break not just from tasks but also activities like watching the news and browsing through social media should be mandatory. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers this as one of its suggestions to maintain mental health.
Even if you would want to keep yourself updated with the pandemic, this may only overload you with information, causing stress as well.
3. Stay physically healthy, so that you can maintain your mental health too.
In maintaining one's mental health, keeping the body healthy also plays a big role. When a person falls into an unhealthy pattern, it would make them feel worse as well.
To stay physically fit, eating healthy meals and keeping yourself hydrated are the best ways. Although it may sound exhausting, exercising can be a way to lift one's mood and clear the head. The exercise does not have to be an intense one, ten minutes would be enough.
4. Keep the mind active while staying at home.
There are several things that you can try to keep the mind active. Some of these are reading, playing games, doing crosswords or sudoku. This can also be the time to go back to some of your hobbies like painting or drawing.
5. Be of service to others
When you are feeling low, one of the best remedies according to Psychology Today is to be of service. This does not mean being at the frontlines. Rather, being of service could be giving your friends a call or any other act of kindness. For example, you could pick up some of the needs of a neighbor from the grocery if they find doing this task difficult. Adopting an animal can also be an example of being of service.
