Self-Care During a Pandemic

As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across the world, stress levels are higher than ever. In addition to being worried about the health of loved ones or themselves, they are also concerned about their source of income since jobs are on the line.

It does not help that one of the most effective ways of curbing the pandemic is by isolating oneself. All these stressors can have a significant negative impact on your mental health. Here is what you need to know about self-care during a pandemic.

Stress: What is It, and How Can It Affect You During a Pandemic?

Stress is simply your body’s way of responding to a threat – be it real or perceived. It typically manifests itself as anxiety and fear, which often ignite erratic behavior.

When fear takes hold of you, both your nervous system as well as the part of your brain that is responsible for emotions go into overdrive. When that happens, the stressed individual becomes highly susceptible to impulsivity and panic, in addition to losing control of their emotions.

Consequently, if the individual has a history of depression and anxiety, or has a pre-existing mental illness, stress will only exacerbate those conditions. This can result in symptoms such as insomnia, an elevated heart rate, fatigue, weakness, and digestive issues.

Isolation can have adverse effects on mental health. Being cut off from others can have far-reaching consequences. According to the American Psychological Association, social isolation predisposes an individual to risks such as reduced cardiovascular health, poor sleep, lower immunity, impaired cognitive functioning, and depressive symptoms.

While stress is bound to arise in such times, we still have a bit of control over how we choose to let it manifest itself in us. Self-care is an excellent way of managing that stress. Here is what you need to know about it.

Self-Care and Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, people often neglect self-care. Just as it is with any other illness, a mental health disorder is Not anyone’s fault. Yet, most people find the concept of taking care of themselves too overwhelming, as it feels – selfish.

However, it is not. Taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally is a fundamental part of maintaining your mental health. The benefits of self-care include:

Relieving stress

When you slip under a bubble bath and allow yourself to feel good, you will be taking a mental and emotional vacation from your stressful reality. It is okay to feel relaxed or even good, regardless of what is going on around you. You deserve that much.

Non-Judgemental Introspection

Once you are calm and relaxed after doing something you enjoy, your mind will be in a better place to evaluate the stressors in your life. This way, you will be able to determine whether all the stressing you have been doing is worth it.

Boosting Physical Health

By releasing stress from your body, self-care can prevent chronic stress from manifesting itself physically, exercise at home and using some nootropic supplements can really help in such situation in order to make your physical and mental health strong.

Making You a Better Person

With stress out of the way, you will be in a better position to listen and take care of your loved ones.

Stress management is of utmost importance in self-care. Only you can give yourself that kind of care.

Self-Care Tips to Stay sane Among the Chaos

During this period of isolation, effective self-care routines, such as a day at the spa or the masseuse, might not be feasible. However, we have compiled a self-care checklist that you can practice at home. Consider:

Cutting Back on Your News and Social Media Intake

If you keep seeing reports about how the pandemic is running rampant, you are likely to start stressing. Reduce your exposure to negative influences and focus on the things that are within your control, such as taking care of your loved ones.

Ensure that you only get your information from reliable outlets since the media, as well as social media, tends to monger fear for the sake of ratings, views, and likes.

Keep Things in Perspective

Do not be a victim of fear-mongering. For example, most people who contract Covid-19 will only exhibit mild symptoms. The vulnerable ones are the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and the careless ones. As such, if you and your loved ones are taking the necessary precautions, you have little to fear.

Have a Routine

To stay sane, especially during isolation, you will need to keep yourself busy. Create a routine where you exercise your mind, body, and spirit. This could mean working out, playing board games, and meditating.

Breathe

Conscious breathing and being mindful is one of the best ways of alleviating stress on the spot. Whenever you find yourself stressing, simply breathe in deeply then exhale. Do that until you feel yourself relaxing.

Try to practice these self-care tips regularly.

Final Thoughts

Self-care might feel selfish, but it is not. Now, more than ever, you need to take care of your mental health so you can be a source of strength and inspiration to those having it worse. You can also use this time to look into ways to make your life better. Do all those things that you have been putting off.