These COVID times has stressed out many people because of losing jobs and staying at home for a long time. During stressful and difficult times like this, I think the most effective way to get through it is to listen to and spend time with yourself. Here are some alternatives to your current boring pandemic activities.
1. Sleep a deep sleep
The first method, though universal, but always effective, is to let your mind recover by taking a deep sleep. During sleep, our body regulates the endocrine system by eliminating stress hormones. You can take a nap or take several hours, as long as your sleep is based on the sleep cycle scientifically.
During sleep, our body regulates the endocrine system by eliminating stress hormones like cortisol.
However, when stress is excessive, our bodies tend to have trouble falling asleep. In this case, you should be patient. Don’t consider sleeping a burden, instead focus on taking deep, steady, slow breaths. You should turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed and keep them away.
2. Stay close to trees
Trees have an immediate stress relieving effect for humans. They act as an external factor to help our body balance blood pressure and stimulate concentration. This also explains why small pots are a popular decoration item in offices.
When I feel like I need to relax, I often look through the window to see the trees and the sky. In addition to the above, it also allows your eyes to rest after many hours of work on the computer screen.
3. Play with pets
Sometimes when you’re under a lot of pressure, you need someone nearby to just hear you out in silence. However, few people can meet this requirement at short notice and we are often afraid to share wholeheartedly. So a dog, a cat at this time will be a great friend.
Playing with pets is considered a form of physical activity, which reduces stress, equally effective as when performing some basic exercises.
4. Gentle exercise on the spot
Playing sports is one of the most effective ways to prevent and reduce stress. However, not everyone who feels stressed can go to a physical training class or play a favorite sport. In my opinion, the fastest effective method is to get out of the seat, find a space large enough to perform some basic movements. It will be great if you are familiar with exercises like yoga. If not, some stretching, tensing or flexing muscles, combined with deep breathing is effective and achievable even for non-active people..
Try out some of these relaxation techniques to get you through these trying times! Take care of yourself!