It has almost been a year since the first lockdown in Canada as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and also a year since I have been working from home. I am grateful for the opportunity to have a job at a time like this. However, I have also had to adjust and research ways to cope during these unprecedented times. I thought to share some of the things I have practiced and have found helpful, as well as some mental health resources. I will categorize the tips into two areas: Body and mind. Some tips apply to both areas. These tips are only suggestions, you can modify each tip as you so desire.
1. Body
- Take walks: This is therapeutic and helps me to clear my head, especially after being indoors for long hours.
- Eat healthy meals and snacks. It’s also okay to have a cheat day from time to time.
- Exercise regularly: I love a good dance work out and I also skip. I find that I feel more confident and better overall when I have a workout schedule and stick to it.
- Sleep: I try to get a good night’s rest. You will feel better the next day if you do.
2. Mind
- Practice mindfulness and take deep breaths throughout the day.
- Sleep: I have found that working into the night, which is tempting when you work from home, keeps my mind busy. Sometimes, even after ending my day a few hours before bedtime, I find that I wake up during the night with ideas on how to work through a matter at work. Since I cannot control those 3 a.m. light bulb moments, I have placed a jotter and a pen on my bed side table and I scribble ideas that come to mind before going back to sleep.
- Connect: Reach out to friends and family members that empower and uplift you and stay in touch with them. If you really need to speak to someone about your mental health, you can reach out to someone within your community that you trust or a mental health professional. We all need people. You don’t need to feel like you can figure it all out on your own; take that burden off yourself.
- Prayer: This works for me every time. I feel like I hit a “reset” button whenever I feel overwhelmed and spend time in the place of prayer.
- Journal: I practice journaling as a way to get lost in my thoughts. This is a self-discovery process for me and also helps me think through events of the day. I also keep a gratitude journal. It helps me to look out for the good things that are going on in my life.
- Take social media breaks: If you find that social media is starting to drain you and make you feel less or unhappy, please take a break. I have needed to take a number of breaks from social media in order to limit negative news and realign myself to think positive thoughts.
Mental Health Support
It is important to prioritize your mental health, most especially in the times we live in. For mental health support please visit this Government of Canada link. There are a number of resources on that webpage that you may be able to take advantage of. For Ontario provincial mental health support, click here.
Good one, Priceless. Thanks for sharing.