Preserving Your Mental Health During COVID-19

If you are like me, staying inside all day can drive you crazy. It’s hard when you have so much energy and you don’t know where to put it. We are all struggling in our own ways during this crazy time, but I’m here to try to make it a little easier for you. Now more than ever, it’s super important to maintain and strengthen your relationships with your family and friends any way you can. It’s very easy to isolate yourself and lay in bed all day when you aren’t allowed to go outside, but this can cause feelings of depression and loneliness. Plan a game night with your family, a Zoom meeting with your college friends, or plan a parking lot meetup and talk to your hometown friends while sitting in your open trunk.

We are all learning and going through this historical event, and it’s important to help each other along the way. Another thing that I would put at the top of the list is exercise. Exercise, more than anything, has helped me stay in good mental and physical health. This is a perfect time to set fitness and health goals for yourself and get creative with how you can stay active. The goals don’t have to be hard, maybe you do yoga every morning or stretch every night before bed. There are so many videos on YouTube, Instagram, and On-Demand that can help you stay active with or without equipment. Use this time to explore different types of exercise and create healthy habits that you can carry over when things go back to normal. It may seem like a “force” in the moment, but I promise it will make you feel better in every way possible.

When you are exercising, make sure it’s at least two hours before bedtime so you can sleep better. With online classes, it’s a lot easier to go to sleep super late and wake up super late. Try not to get into this habit! A huge part of mental health revolves around how much sleep you get, and how deep the sleep was. Try to practice healthy sleep hygiene so you can wake up feeling rested and ready for a new day. Messing up your sleep schedule is easy to do, but not as easy to fix. Getting the recommended amount of sleep can help boost your mood significantly, among other positive impacts. I know how easy it is to get sucked into a TikTok black hole, but maybe try plugging your phone in on the other side of your room to help you go to sleep earlier.

Another thing that has helped me stay in good spirits is listening to new music. If you have Spotify, I suggest following the playlist, “New Music Friday”. Every Friday they update the playlist with new music from all different types of artists. You can find music from almost every genre on the playlist, and it has introduced me to new artists that I now love. It’s a great way to pass the time and you can share music that you like with your friends and family.

My last suggestion to keep yourself busy and happy is to get creative! All over social media people are showing how they are being creative in their houses. You can paint, buy coloring books, make string bracelets, do puzzles, redesign your clothes (I’m trying the bleaching trend tonight!), make new kinds of coffee, cook, and bake, and so much more. Sit down with your family and make a list of things you can do together. I know that this is an extremely stressful time for everyone, but together I know we can get through it. I am praying for all of you and I hope some of these things will help you stay in good spirits.

All images are courtesy of the Her Campus Media Library. 

• COVID-19
• exercise
• family
• friends
• mental health
• music