Tips for Your Mental Health During COVID-19 Prevention Measures
During this coronavirus outbreak, in addition to following personal and community health guidelines, such as hand washing, staying home when sick, coughing and sneezing into tissues or elbows, etc., we need to take care of our mental health. Here are some tips.
- Fear is a natural reaction to a real danger. Take care of what is in your power, and behave responsibly.
- Symptoms of anxiety, depression, sense of emptiness and panic are common in these situations and transitions. Feeling happy raises immune defenses and allows the body to react better in case of illness. Contain your symptoms with: (a) Vitamin C and Vitamin D, (b) Outdoors and sun, and (c) Consuming dried fruit, fish, and chocolate.
- The suspension of social life makes us feel vulnerable and fragile. Use your free time to do something different than usual.
- Help others. We may discover that in our time of need we are better than we thought we were.
- Greet each other about a 2 yards apart (a practice from other cultures and other time periods).
Laugh, Communicate, Listen to Things That Bring You Joy
During the plague in the 1300s, ten friends fled the city to stay isolated in the country and told each other amusing tales, according to The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. And that's how they survived. The Decameron shares the ten raucous stories.
It may seem like an old tale, but, boosting your immunity by being happy is a good way to keep your immunity in tact to fight viruses.
Full story on the Decameron at https://www.newstatesman.com/2020/03/coronavirus-survive-italy-wellbeing-stories-decameron
Sleep, Wash Your Hands, and Eat Well
I am definitely washing my hands. Constant vigiliance! (a la Alastair Moody). They say to do it for 20 seconds. I've found that the opening lyrics to my favorite Tori Amos song covers is (Bang, off of her most recent album, Native Invader.)
Sleeping well and eating well? I'm trying. I need to try harder though.
Sleeping well and eating well? I'm trying. I need to try harder though.
I have laid out a Bedtime Ritual for myself a few times, in an attempt to do something about my chronic insomnia. I need to be really disciplined during this time to implement it.
Bedtime Ritual
- An hour before bed, set screen to go into "Dark Mode" and "Night Shift"
- Stay off screens half hour or more before bed
- Change into bedtime clothes
- Turn off bright lights; keep only dim light on nightstand on
- Brew a cup of calming herbal tea: chamomile, oatstraw, lavender, ashwaganda, or a combo thereof
- Brush hair
- Wash face
- Brush teeth
- Add valerian & licorice root tinctures and sip tea
- Listen to "sleep" music (most streaming services have a station like this)
- Meditate, contemplate, whatever kind of mindful exercise (spiritual or secular)
- Make entry/entries in various journals (gratitude journal, regular journal, etc)
- Read
Please oh please let me actually implement this! My life will be so much better, during the COVID-19 Prevention Measures, and once the disease has passed.
Take Good Care and Thank You
Please take good care of yourselves. And thank you in advance to everyone in the health care industry who will be taxed and working their aces off in the coming days and weeks.