10 Ways To Look After Your Mental Health During COVID-19

These times that we’re all in have caused all kind of mental strains on ourselves. It’s been about a year now that we’ve been restricted due to COVID-19 guidelines. And while there is an end in sight with the rapid vaccine rollout, we still need to be vigilant.

Unfortunately not everyone is going to be able to be vigilant. After all, our own mental health is strained and declining now more than ever. According to a Cosmopolitan poll, 52% of millennial women who suffer mental health issues now experience worse episodes since the pandemic started.

With all of us nearing the end of the finish line of this pandemic, we wanted to share some amazing yet simple tips to help you get through this pandemic mental health-wise. These suggestions are even based on experts’ findings, so you can be sure to trust them.

Have Small Distractions

This isn’t to say make plans to watch tons of videos and do nothing all day. As is the case for many people, they’ve probably exhausted a lot of Netflix and other TV shows for weeks. With the end being closer in sight, it might be a good time now to consider future projects, hobbies that you want to pick up, or other tasks to keep yourself busy with.

This idea was suggested by Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., an associate psychiatrist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. It’s great advice because having these mental distractions can keep us entertained while waiting for the pandemic to end. And once this pandemic is over you can show off to your friends and family the things you’ve accomplished.

Get Outside

Even with a pandemic going on, it doesn’t mean you’re restricted to being inside of your house all the time. We still need to enjoy some level of outdoor activity for our mental health to stay well. Just keep in mind that when you are going outside you wear a mask when other people are nearby.

Be Mindful Of Your Health

If you’re still not convinced to be getting outside sometimes, at the very least, you shouldn’t be skipping out on workouts. Even though we think of working out as just physical movement, there are some mental aspects to it as well. Paired up with eating healthier foods, this can rewire your brain for the better.

Take some time right now to get back into the swing of exercising and eating healthy, so you can get back on track. Even if you’re squatting while watching Netflix, it’s better than just sitting and doing nothing.

Practice Hygge

Hygge is a Danish method of practicing extreme coziness. It’s a practice that reminds us to welcome and appreciate the simple joys in our life. Even though COVID can feel like it’s one big hygge-fest, do yourself a favor and do something nice for yourself.