In the midst of the pandemic, the mental health of many has been completely neglected. Some are just too stressed out and/or busy to confront it, and others are trying to fill the void with social media, Netflix, and snacks. Regardless of the reason, it is important to take the time to actively do things that contribute to the well being of your mental health, especially if you have a history of anxiety or depression. Having a history of mental health problems can make being mentally fit even harder, but there is something that can be done. Here are a couple things you can incorporate into your daily life to fight the pandemic blues.
- Balling Up Negative Thoughts
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During this time, it is very easy for negative thoughts to occupy your mind. Next time you have a negative thought that won’t go away, take your hand, hold it up to your head, pull it away from your head as if you’re physically pulling the thought out of your head, ball the negative thought up and then physically walk to a trash can and throw it away. Some people even find it more therapeutic to write the thought down on a piece of paper and then throwing the piece of paper, but either works. Throwing away your negative thoughts will help to train your mind to stop negativity in its tracks.
- Give Yourself Breaks From Social Media
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Raise your hand if your screen time has gone up since the pandemic started- I know mine has. It has become way too easy to lose a whole day to Instagram, Tik Tok, or Twitter, and believe it or not, spending all day on social media has the potential to badly affect your mental health. Social media puts you at an increased risk for anxiety, depression, and has even been linked to illness. That is why it is very important to give yourself a break from it. To help in the effort of cutting down your time spent on social media, you can try presetting the amount of time you can spend on social media everyday. With all of the free time you’ll have, you can learn a new skill, color (it’s not childish, they have adult coloring books, too), or just do something productive but not stressful.
- Get Some Sunlight
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Sunlight has many benefits, but one thing it does that is really great is that it acts as a mood booster. Sunlight helps you to feel calm and focused, which helps to contribute to the foundation of good mental health. So, how about starting the day with getting five minutes of sunlight. It will have a great effect on your day!
- Practice Gratitude
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Gratitude is more effective than many know. Simply being grateful for the things you have can help to eliminate feelings of anxiety and depression, but being grateful can sometimes take a little effort depending on your state of mind. One thing you can do is to take a notebook and every day write at least three things in your life you have to be grateful for. This helps you to naturally think more positively.
- Smile
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Although it is such a simple act, smiling can have a profound effect on your mood and mental health. Smiling helps to fight off stress and it triggers neurotransmitters like dopamine, the “feel good” hormone, and serotonin, an antidepressant. You should smile more (without being creepy); it will literally help to make you feel better.
Mental health is not something to play with, which means you should be intentional when it comes to taking care of it. Sometimes, though, you may need some outside help, so here are some resources. Keep fighting the pandemic blues!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
https://www.betterhelp.com/helpme