If there’s one thing that nobody could have foreseen or expected to happen, it’s the COVID-9 pandemic. Times have been uncertain for the last year and the light at the end of the tunnel seems to keep getting away as months pass.
So be it the lockdown, the isolation, the lack of proper human interaction, or the many ways we’ve had to adapt with the change -- it’s caused all of us immense anxiety and stress at one point or another. The main reason for this stress has been uncertainty, because with lives at risk and no way to feel 100% safe for yourself and your family, this pandemic has brought with it such a persistent anxiety that can be ubiquitously found the globe around. And the worst part is that just when we become accustomed to a certain aspect of the new normal, a newer normal has suddenly sprung on us. How can we then expect to manage our anxiety and stress?
Well, the first step is understanding that certain things are beyond our control and in those situations, we must only focus on and harness positivity instead of spiralling. We cannot change what is not in our control, but we must change what we can control, such as our health and well-being.
We at Welly have also felt unexpected emotions and uncertainty due to the pandemic, but we’ve found that going out of our comfort-zones to make a move towards the right vision helps. Here’s a list of things that we suggest you do to manage your stress and anxiety:
1. Movement: It’s therapeutic!
For those of us that aren't used to exercising, it is definitely a struggle to get up and exert ourselves to engage in physical activity. The sluggish lifestyles that involve us sitting at a desk for hours cause our bodies to decay over time, which is why it’s so important that we start exercising because during this lockdown, we will be able to make the time that most of us couldn’t otherwise. Plus, it’s important to exercise especially now that we need strong immunities. To supplement your immunity-building habits, you may also try our Immunity Boost gummies! (Here’s a tip: If you don’t want to do anything else, just put on some music and dance, dance, dance!)
2. Keep a check on what you mentally consume
It is important to limit your daily intake of the news, depressing conversations, and negative media content to what you can handle. Especially in the pandemic, there has been little positive news and positive reinforcement in the broadcasts by the media and even generally by people. And we tend to get sucked into that negativity if we constantly see and hear too much of it. Schedule your day so that you dedicate as little time to such negativity as possible while being updated about everything, and try to include some time for mindfulness and positive reinforcement.
3. Mindfulness & Meditation
The benefits of practicing mindfulness and meditation extend beyond experiencing calmness and reducing anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation help us stay tethered to the present moment and help us understand, compartmentalise, and tackle our thoughts. It often happens that our mind controls us instead of the other way around and by meditating, we can change this.
4. Connect and keep in touch!
When stressed, most of us tend to isolate ourselves. Instead of helping us calm ourselves down, it often causes us to start spiralling and feel even more anxious. Connecting with our near and dear ones and keeping in touch with them throughout our whole stress journey helps us release our emotions and the familiarity and human touch of talking helps us navigate through those tough times. It’s important to stay connected with friends and family especially during COVID when we’re all locked away in our own homes.
5. Routine!
Following a proper daily routine will help structure your day and reduce much of that daily anxiety that we face when the day seems to get ahead of us and we don’t get any work done. Routines will help streamline our minds to stay focused on those priority-tasks and thus indirectly help us get more done. We do recommend planning your day the night before, especially now-- having a schedule helps distract oneself from the COVID-related uncertainty. Additionally, you can try our Restful sleep gummies to fall into a great sleep routine which will help you stay calm and reduce your anxiety!
And last but not the least, stay safe, stay happy :)
