There’s no doubt about it, the world is a pretty scary place right now with all the talk of Coronavirus. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, know that that is a totally normal response to dealing with the unknown. It’s important at times like these to cut yourself some slack and engage in some self care. Here are our top self care tips!
Move It!
Exercise is one of the best ways to lift your mood and manage your mental health. It doesn’t matter how you move, so long as you get up and do it!
There’s a range of great free online resources to help your exercise at home such as Yoga with Adrienne or get out and take a [socially distant] walk with your furry friend.
Dancing, stretching, biking or resistance training- it’s all good.
Stay Connected
Even though we can’t see our friends and maybe even family as much as we’d like right now, that doesn’t mean we can’t catch up.
Take advantage of all the wonderful technology at your finger tips. Get on FaceTime, try out Skype or Zoom and host your own virtual dinner party or happy hour.
Not a fan? Kick it old school and write your mates a letter. Who doesn’t love getting something exciting in the mail?
Breathe it out
Deep breathing for even just 1 minute can have a huge effect at calming down the body and releasing happy hormones. The 4-7-8 technique is a great place to start.
Try it out! Here’s how to do it:
- Breathe in for 4 seconds
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds
- Breathe out for 8 seconds
Repeat this process for a minute (or as long as you need to).
Need some support? There’s a range of handy breathing and meditation mobile apps to get you in the practice. We love Stop, think, breathe and the Headspace Meditation app.
Pick up a hobby
You might have found yourself with a bit of extra time on your hands with social distancing measures in place.
Always wanted to learn how to knit? Never got to finish that painting project you started? Now’s the time!
There are a range of YouTube tutorials to teach you something new or take advantage of free lessons from online learning platforms like skillshare.
Tune out
The media LOVE a story, and bad news sells. Turn off the news, take a break from social media for a few hours and reduce the bad news you’re exposed to.
You could even seek out some stories about the good things happening in the world to counteract the negative things showing up in your feed and on your TV.
Remember it’s ok to have a bad day
Let yourself feel however you need to. Suppressing your emotions will only make things worse and remember that help is available.
If you need mental health support, visit your doctor or, use one of the great online and phone resources such as Lifeline (13 11 14) and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or Headspace.
