The coronavirus pandemic in which the world has been immersed since the beginning of 2020 has led to a revolution in the daily life the societies. However, thanks to the multiple vaccination events our social world is reopening trusting that this will help us to avoid risks in subsequent waves of the pandemic. But, even when vaccines have supplied in quantities enough and daily life begins to resume, it will almost certainly not be as always.
A new way of life is emerging, and the world will be very different from what we have known before COVID.
This pandemic is a historical fact that drove humanity into changes as important as a world war and even knowing that life will go back to “normal” in social and economic aspects, there will remain some patterns and measurements where society will rethink what we want and our priorities at the time to be outside and take care of our health.
The public has made it clear to many governments to focus on high-quality medical and social care with wide accessibility as well as low taxes and the constant improvement of the standard of living. Therefore, experts warn about the growth of physical and mental health as one of the main concerns of citizens after the arrival of the pandemic, concluding that “The coronavirus has motivated people to be healthier”.
As rational humans, we must take care of our thoughts and the words we use with ourselves and others. During the pandemic, many of us were isolated alone, with our partner or with our entire family, these events were a revolution that required us to pause the life we used to do outside and begin to face our inner life.
After almost a year and a half in quarantine, we ask ourselves, how can we take care of our mental health? Because the Covid-19 pandemic could be just the beginning of many changes that the world is about to face, demanding us to learn from this experience and prepare for future moments of uncertainty.
We want to share some tips for taking care of your mental health that will be very useful both to face a similar situation such as the pandemic and lead a calmer and stress-free daily life.
1. Recognize your emotions
Understanding how you feel is important. Don’t ignore your feelings. Feeling sad or angry is normal, do not demand that you always be positive or happy.
Writing about your feelings can help you understand them better. Write on paper or make mental notes expressing how your new daily routine makes you feel.
2. Think about what you can do to distract yourself
Cook, dance, watch movies, read a book, take part in healthy challenges, exercise from home, or play games with your friends.
Do things that make you happy. Creating distractions is a good way to deal with emotional stress.
3. Stay in touch with your loved ones
Get in touch with your parents, a mentor, or a trusted friend to talk about how each one is feeling. Talking to someone will help you feel better and take care of your emotional well-being.
4. Look at the good things
Although not every day is good, something good can be found every day. Every night before you go to sleep, think of something that you are grateful or grateful for, even if it is a small thing, it will make you feel better!
5. Be nice to yourself and others
Remember that each person is leading a different life. We must bear in mind that what we share or what we say can affect others. Now more than ever, we need to be in solidarity and support each other.
6. Don’t avoid your health
Your body experiences and reacts to how you feel. Eat well, maintain healthy habits, and pay attention to what you feel in every part of your body.
See if you feel any kind of tension, pain or pressure in any part of your body, from the head to the toes. Recognizing where you feel tension can help you release it.
7. Rest
Resting between 7 and 8 hours a day, depending on the person, allows you to take care of your health because it improves physical and intellectual performance.
8. Manage your thoughts
Properly managing excessive, continuous worries and negative thoughts can help you maintain good mental health.
These types of thoughts make you act in a certain way, they can make you act desperate for no reason or encourage you to leave a task. Being aware of them, what stimulates them or what is true in that thought that does not let us sleep are some of the guidelines to put into practice.
9. Set goals
To maintain good mental health, you must set goals in your day-to-day, achievable goals and priorities, writing down them will help you to materialize your ideas.
They must be achievable short-term goals at the beginning, for example drinking a glass of water every day when you wake up.
In this way, you commit and acquire a habit, and little by little you will add challenges and new goals to your day-to-day. Small victories will bring you great satisfaction. Don’t set yourself too big or unreachable goals at first.
10. Look/Ask for help
Sometimes these tips are difficult to put into practice. Situations, surroundings, or personal abilities can make it difficult for the desire and intention to care for mental health.
If you find yourself in these circumstances, ask for help, discuss it with your friends, with trusted people, with professionals. Do not stop taking care of your mental health, seek the necessary support and take care of it.
Finally, it is important to mention that caring about frequent hand washing, covering the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, are physical measures that will help us prevent other circulating viruses or diseases. Remember that with a healthy mind we can think clearer and make decisions that contribute positively to the development of a better society.
Taking care of yourself also contributes to a change, we will not be the same after the pandemic. Keep practising, sharing, and teaching these tips with more people and you will see how your life will become healthier day by day.
