It’s difficult keeping your mental health positive and being distracted from this COVID-19 isolation we are all in. So, one of our amazing CYA Staines member, Tiffany, has kindly shared her experience and thoughts on taking care of your mental health. Thank you, Tiffany! Read more to find out!
‘Mental health during isolation usually hits in the form of low mood after a week or so. Personally, I felt tired and unmotivated most of the time, and since the days aren’t eventful, the insomnia was bad every night.
Anxiety also contributes to the insomnia and makes it very difficult to focus on productive tasks. Consequently, the lack of work getting done can cause a horrible loop of low mood and wasting time.
All media is constantly talking about the virus so it is not easy to distract yourself and ease the worry, particularly for people who suffer from anxiety and depression. Avoiding it may not be an option so try and find ways to desensitise yourself from it.’
To take care of yourself:
- ‘To-do list but don’t stress yourself out. Make sure your day has a variety of different activities, for example, do not dedicate a whole day to exercise and another day for watching movies.
- Try something new like cooking or DIY clothes
- Getting some exercise may seem like a lot to do if you’re feeling low, but I can be as simple as a walk or copying a short home workout YouTube video. It takes much less effort than you think and you have a sense of relief/accomplishment afterwards
- Change up the rooms you spend the most time in. The change can help the feeling of repetitiveness every day. Moving around some furniture and redecorating can be therapeutic
- Meditation to help anxiety, yoga doubles as meditation and exercise’
cyauk.com 