By Nicole Yip
These days, you are probably feeling a lot of stress, fear, and anxiety, whether it be from school, family, or the news cycle. During these difficult times, it is essential to keep yourself both mentally and physically healthy. Here are a few things you can do to practice self-care and bring some joy into your life.
- While it is really tempting to sit around all day doing nothing and eating whatever you can get your hands on, it is crucial to keep your body healthy. This means eating healthy, doing some form of exercise (maybe you could actually do your gym assignments), and of course, staying hydrated. I’m not saying you have to get six-pack abs or avoid ice cream, but be mindful of how you are treating your body. Exercising also has been proven to help with your mental health by reducing stress, decreasing depression and anxiety, increasing self-confidence, and boosting brainpower. Also, you do not want to wake up to find out that none of your pants fit after quarantine is over.
- With nothing to do at home, you may find yourself lying in bed on your phone scrolling through TikTok for hours. Find some time to put down your phone and give yourself a break from the chaos of social media and the news. Clear your mind and find some peace from all the insanity that is happening. Maybe you could even try practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness helps you reduce stress and anxiety, improve your focus, and sharpen your memory. Find somewhere quiet and peaceful to try one of the many mindfulness apps like Calm or Headspace.
- Do things that you enjoy. With all this newfound time you can revisit old hobbies or even make new ones. Paint a masterpiece, bake some bread, read a good book, do whatever makes you happy. It is important to keep yourself happy and keep your mind off stress. Check out some of the free resources currently available that could help with this.
- Being stuck in your house, you may have created a mess. Cleaning can help reduce anxiety and make you feel like you have some control in your life when the world is out of control.
- Do a face mask. Light some candles and draw a bath. Meditate. Drink tea. Play Tetris. Do whatever it is that helps you unwind and relax. Take a break from feeling overwhelmed and anxious and distressed. It is easy to drown in worry and fear during this time, but remember to take care of yourself.
- And of course, don’t forget to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.