How To Stay Healthy At Home During A Lockdown

Now, more than ever, with the COVID-19 keeping many of us at home is the time to consciously keep our health in check, especially our mental and physical health as the situation is in itself a risk. This ‘stay-at-home’ situation in which many of us have found ourselves may be for most of us, strange and difficult but I can assure you that it is doable.

Instead of idly passing each day in frustration and being a victim of the detrimental physical and psychology effects of a lockdown, here are some tips you could make use of for staying healthy in a period like this:

Eat Healthy Foods

The food you eat has big effects on your health and quality of life. In a pandemic like this, eating healthy food remains an important aspect of your health.  With that said, I advise you keep to a balanced diet, abstain from unnecessary snacking, gear up on your fruits and vegetables intake. Don’t eat in excess, for alcohol, keep to standard drinking advice.

Stay in Touch With Friends and Family

Though we may be distant from our families and friends but the evolution of technology in our dispensation has been more than beneficial, and in the context of socialization can be a very powerful tool for connecting us. So with smart phones, internet access and other methods of communication, it’s never been easier to keep in touch with your family and friends especially in a moment like this. You could, call, text, chat or even write. Nowadays, there are apps and services that allows for multiple people video calls, so you could set up an online activity that you may look forward to each day. This single act of reaching out to people, finding out how they are, conversing on whatever you love, can be mentally helpful to you and them.  

Have a Routine

Designing a routine and sticking to it could give you a daily sense of fulfillment and stability. And as you would do normally, get some days off your routine, do something different and come back. This could keep you busy, help you achieve your goals, create a structure in your life and make you more efficient.

Exercise Regularly

With the restriction on movement and places like the gym, closed, it can be difficult (I understand) to stay active. However, there are a lot of ways you could easily start off something at home. Little body movements each day could amount to something.  Well, I know the hardest part of this is starting, and one major hindrance to this is succumbing to the comfort of your bed or sofa but you’ll have to resist this temptation. Exercising can be as simple as dancing and there are a lot of apps and sites out there that could help with this, ranging from dancing, yoga, weight lifting, running, to cycling. Choose something and get active.

Healthy Balance of News

Everywhere on the news, it’s all about the current pandemic and with the distressing uncertainties surrounding it we tend to constantly check for latest updates. It’s okay to keep yourself informed but it’s also important to have a break from a constant flow of such information. You don’t have to check every now and then. Have a set time, maybe every morning and night. Some of this information can be distressing and your attitude towards them could be deleterious to your mental health.

Look After Your Mental Health

Yes, this is important especially with all the changes and uncertainties at the moment.  Mentally coping with this can be difficult but now, more than ever, is the time to take care of your mental health.  This can go a long way in reducing stress and anxiety, improving your moods and relationships with people, giving you peace of mind and increasing your self-esteem.  See this link on managing your mental health and stress.

Get Enough Sleep and Stay Hydrated

Getting enough sleep and staying hydrated can be very beneficial to your mental health. With the current happenings, a lot of people for one reason or another are having challenges with their sleep. Many have fallen into a bad sleep cycle. Could it be an excess screen time? a disrupted schedule? Or some added stress? It’s important to identify what the problem is and work on a solution.

Keeping hydrated is important for staying healthy. It can prevent you from feeling emotionally and physically drained especially in a time like this. Many activities can feel a lot more difficult without proper hydration. So how much water should you drink a day? Well it is difficult to tell at the end of the day exactly how much water you need, as this depends on the individual. Drink when you’re thirsty, if you’re exercising a lot you should be drinking more to compensate for the loss.

Seek Medical Attention if Needed

Seek medical attention when you feel unwell and if you’re having any of the COVID-19 related symptoms, contact your regional medical hotlines for advice.

Conclusion

Your health is vital for yourself and others who may be dependent on you at the moment.  In a period like this this, little things as getting enough sleep, exercising, keeping in touch with others and eating well can keep you healthy to play whatever cards you’re dealt with by life.

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