KEEP UP WITH YOUR EXERCISE

It’s a scientific fact that exercising makes you happier. When we engage our bodies in physical activity—riding a bike, lifting weights, doing yoga, or even just going for a walk—our brains release chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins that make us feel happy. On top of releasing these feel-good chemicals, exercise also helps your brain get rid of chemicals that make you feel stressed and anxious. And when you do feel angry and upset, regular exercise also plays a role in helping you control these emotions. Once a day, set some time aside to do a physical activity. It can be something as small as running around in the backyard with your kids or a full at-home workout routine. If you feel stuck for ideas, there are plenty of online resources that are focused on ensuring you maintain your physical health while you’re stuck at home.

manage your news intake

It’s important to stay informed about what’s going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the 24-hour news cycle and the constant barrage of social media updates. If you feel like the news cycle is increasing your stress levels, try to limit the time you spend watching, reading, or listening to coverage of the pandemic. Restrict your social media usage to specific times of the day. It may help to only check the news once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening, and only check social media when you wake up and right before you go to bed.

establish a daily routine

It can be tempting to let the structure of daily life fall apart when you’re stuck at home more than usual. But keeping up a simple routine can make you feel more engaged and in control of the day. Consider waking up at a set time, showering, putting on clothes that makes you feel confident, and eating a good breakfast just like you would if you were going into the office. If you’re homeschooling your kids, set aside the same time each day for lessons and exercises.

listen to music or read books

On average, adults listen to music for at least an hour a day, and, in the case of younger adults, up to 18 h a week an Australian sample, music listening has been rated via self-report as one of the most effective stress management strategies, along with watching television/movies, focusing on positives, and reading, among others similarly found that listening to music, tending to chores, and sleep were the most successful techniques to change a bad mood, while to reduce tension, the most successful strategies included religious activity, listening to music, tending to chores, Evidently, music listening, among other strategies can be effective for a variety of mood regulation situations. When coping with stress, previous research has often concentrated on the concept that soft, slow music, such as classical music, is better for managing negative emotions compared with hard or heavy music.

Try to stay connected

The way we are able to connect to others is changing, but this is happening at a different pace depending on who you are and where you live. Advice is significantly different if you are shielding, and you still need to take extra care if you have a long-term physical health condition, are pregnant or aged over 70. Stay in touch with friends on social media but try not to sensationalise things. If you are sharing content, use this from trusted sources, and remember that your friends might be worried too.

Eat well

Good nutrition is crucial for health, particularly in times when the immune system might need to fight back. Limited access to fresh foods may compromise opportunities to continue eating a healthy and varied diet. It can also potentially lead to an increased consumption of highly processed foods, which tend to be high in fats, sugars and salt. Nonetheless, even with few and limited ingredients, one can continue eating a diet that supports good health. You might be surprised to learn that certain nutrients in foods have been shown to reduce anxiety or spur the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine — and we all want to feel as good as we can during these times of uncertainty.