15 Self-Care Tips in Covid Times
Are you feeling burnt out with continuous work-from-home? Are you feeling stressed with the changes pandemic brought in? You are not alone. Millions of us are going through this phase. Covid changed our lives completely. It has blurred the boundaries between personal and professional lives. It has disrupted the routines. Vacations, get-togethers are nowhere in sight. In situations like these, it is common to feel bored, irritated, stressed and depressed. But living in such negative emotions for a long time can be quite stressful. So, how to come out these negative emotions?
Self-care is the answer. When we start taking care of our body, mind and soul, we become better at handling the challenges around us. Unfortunately, many of us neglect self-care. We don’t take care of ourself enough because of various reasons like hectic schedule, negligence, laziness etc. But self-care is very essential to face challenging times like covid. So, here are 15 tips that help you start your journey of self-care.
- Meditate every day. Meditation is an excellent tool to calm down thoughts and emotions. It also de-stresses and brings inner peace. So, meditate every day. To start your meditation journey, check out this video.
- Establish a routine. Covid has disrupted routines and blurred the dividing line between personal life and work life. This increased stress levels. So, have a routine in place. Having a routine will help you maintain work life balance. It gives a clear structure to your day and makes you more productive.
- Eat nutritious food. Food impacts our mood, energy levels and vitality. So, eating nutritious and healthy food is very important. Add lots of vegetables into your daily diet in various forms like salads, soups, steamed vegetables, raw chutneys. Eat nuts. Have freshly prepared, home-made meals. Avoid deep-fried foods, processed foods and junk food.
- Take a deep breath. Breath and emotions are interrelated. When you are going through negative emotions, practice deep breathing for 5 to 10 minutes. When you do this, you will see that your negative emotions are released and you feel better. You can practice deep breathing multiple times in a day. Doing this will keep you recharged.
- Add movement. In covid times, we cannot go out as much as we want but that does not mean we should lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary lifestyle leads to many health problems like back pain, muscle pains, diabetes, obesity etc. So, add lots of movement into your day. Move around by walking, doing simple exercises, playing, doing household work etc.
- Drink plenty of water. This keeps your body hydrated, energetic and healthy. You can drink water in various forms like herbal infusions, coconut water, warm water etc. Many of us drink insufficient amount of water and it leads to dehydration. Drink at least 3 to 4 litres of water per day.
- Take care of Vitamins. It is essential to maintain healthy levels of vitamins. In the recent times, deficiency of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D has become very common. These deficiencies lead to low immunity and various health problems. So, every 6 months, get your vitamin levels tested and if needed, take supplements.
- Sleep well. Sleep is very essential for repair and rejuvenation of the body. During sleep, we get recharged physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. So, don’t sacrifice your sleep. Sleep for 8 hours and make sure, your sleep is of good quality.
- Read positive books. These are challenging times and it is easy to go into negative state of mind. So, keep yourself positive by reading good books. Every day, spend at least 15 to 20 minutes in reading some good quality stuff which inspires you.
- Count your blessings. Maintain a gratitude journal and write down your blessings every day. Gratitude reduces stress and negative emotions. It brings peace of mind. It helps us see life from a fresh perspective.
- Massage your head and body. Do this at least once in a week with cold-pressed oil like sesame oil or coconut oil. This removes all the stress from your mind and rejuvenates you. It also makes you feel beautiful and light.
- Pursue your hobbies. Do things that make you happy. It may be singing, dancing, gardening, writing etc. Spend some time every day in pursuing your hobbies. Doing this will make you happy and joyful.
- Be in touch with your friends. We are living in times of isolation and at times, it can become too much. Once in a while, call your friends and stay in touch with them. Indulge in silly talks and take it easy.
- Maintain social distancing. This is a very important self-care tip in current times. Don’t be complacent. Its always important to shield and protect yourself. So, maintain social distancing and wear masks wherever needed.
- Learn something new. When you learn new things, your mind stays active, enthusiastic and you become healthier. You also stay young by learning new things. So, be a student of life and keep learning new things.
These are the 15 self-care tips in covid times.
Following these tips will keep you happy, light and healthy. These tips will de-stress and recharge you. They boost your immunity as well and keep you strong. So, start your journey of self-care right away and stay happy. Its our responsibility to take care of our body, mind and soul. Only when we are healthy and happy, we can contribute for the well-being of others. So, don’t neglect self-care. Invest your time in yourself. It’s the greatest investment.
Happy self-care!
