Coronavirus has plunged the world into an unprecedented crisis and things are looking very gloomy at the moment. Many countries have gone into a lockdown and citizens are advised to follow social distancing and other precautionary measures. India too is in a nation wide lockdown with only a few essential services operating. Being hunkered within the confines of the home can really be unnerving for a lot of us. Practicing social distancing – a practice that is deeply unnatural can be debilitating for a lot of us. However, it is important to do so as it is the one of the fundamental protocols in our efforts to counter this Covid19 Pandemic.
Stuck indoors, worrying about the future and uncertain situation all around can really be stressful. It is very important to maintain a sound mental health during these adverse times as taking it lightly could leave you incapacitated in the long run. Even the WHO has taken note of this fact and has released an advice on how to protect our mental health during these adverse times. Reading a lot of news about Coronavirus at this time might increase your stress and anxiety as the internet is filled with a lot of unsubstantiated theories and doomsday predictions. It is advised to limit yourself to few minutes a day to know about the day’s updates on news channels and websites.
It is essential you keep your mind active and engaged at this time when negativity is all around. In the free time that you are getting now, you can follow these mental workouts to remain stress free and also active.
5 Mind exercises to do during this lockdown
1. Meditating
Meditation has a lot of advantages. It is known to reduce stress and anxiety and also strengthen the thinking part of your brain. It increases awareness about yourself and also your surroundings. Meditating will also boost your self-confidence.
There are multiple videos available online which will help you teach how to meditate. Start meditating for a bare minimum of 10 minutes at the start and increase it further practice. You can just concentrate the breathing part and observe how your body feels during inhalation and exhalation.
2. Do Crosswords or Puzzles
Do you remember our young days where we spent hours together on crosswords or solving puzzles? Unfortunately, our busy schedule took away that hobby of ours. Now is the time for you to go through those nostalgic moments. We are certainly not going to get another long spell of free time like the current lockdown phase. Why not utilize them to pursue those hobbies that have always fascinated us? There is nothing more satisfying than completing a crossword or a jigsaw puzzle. They keep our mind sharp.
3. Play Skill based card games
It’s certainly not the time to visit a casino as most of us know. With online card gaming sites, you get the fun and feel of visiting casinos from the comfort of living rooms? Skill based card games like Indian Rummy and poker relieve you from stress and anxiety, and also allow you to win real cash at the same time. Games like Classic Rummy and poker help you improve your cognitive skills and problem solving ability. For example in a rummy game, as you must observe your opponents moves and understand the probability of melds, your cognitive skills and attention span increase. The internet is beaming with so many online rummy sites and rummy mobile apps. It is perhaps the best time to start on a rummy expedition, if you are not in one already.
4. Physical activity
While you may wonder why physical activity finds its way in a post about mental health? There’s a direct correlation between your physical health and mental health. Exercising regularly not only strengthens your bones and muscles, but also keeps you in good mental health. Exercising releases endorphins, a feel good hormone that keeps you happy and lowers your stress and anxiety. It could be a simple plank or squats or lunges, dedicate a particular time each day preferably in the mornings. Exercising in the mornings would keep you active and fresh the whole day and would also increase your productivity. For people who are working at home, these times are a blessing in disguise. Get sunlight whenever possible, eat and sleep well, it will help your mental health
5. Try something new
If you are not able to do things that give you happiness because you’re stuck at home, take this time to learn new stuffs. Any knowledge is a good knowledge. It could be cooking, painting, gardening or even learning a new language. A lot of e-learning platforms are offering free materials on various topics. You can take advantage of it by registering in their platforms and learn a new topic in this free time. Several companies are encouraging their employees to take up online courses from platforms like Udemy to improve their functional expertise. While several employees worldwide are having apprehensions about their future given the uncertainty of the situation, it is perhaps a safe bet to remain updated. Think about it in the long run, this time is the one that you’ve always wanted.
Conclusion
It’s vital that you emerge out of these dark days in sound mental health and these activities listed here could help you a long way in achieving that. If you didn’t come out of this lockdown with a new skill or more knowledge or sound health, you never lacked time, you lacked inspiration and discipline.
