Tips on how to stay sane and avoid the corona blues
The Coronavirus has put us all in a very unique situation with lots of uncertainties. Many of us started to work from home and have restricted ourselves from going outside for unnecessary reasons. This, of course, will help to prevent the spread of the pandemic and reduce the risk of a collapsing health system. All over the world we see countries introducing more and more restrictions to social life and ordering quarantine.
At the beginning, working remote and from home might sound fun and enjoyable. Remote work is considered the modern way to work, but what happens if you have no other choice and can’t even leave the house for other activities?
Long periods of social distancing and isolation can quickly become problematic. With this in mind, it’s especially important for us to be proactive about our mental health during this time.
The best thing you can do when working from home is to be active and create routines. Here are some thoughts and tips that can help you fight that blues:
- Choose activities that you can tick off your list, and that give you the feeling of having done something and that you have been productive. Getting things done just feels great!
- Move! You probably have at least one fitness app on your phone. This is a great time to make use of it, especially when you save time on your morning commute.
- Create regular routines for social exchange. For example, call your colleague in the morning or meet for a remote coffee, video call your best friend everyday, or call your friend for a shared yoga session.
Your remote work setup 🖊
- Set up a dedicated work space away from your leisure space. Relax on your couch or bed and find a different dedicated spot in your apartment/room to work from.
- Create a regular work routine: Set your alarm, shower, and get dressed as if you are going to work. Believe it or not, it feels much nicer than skyping without pants.
- Don’t forget to stand up from time to time in between all your video calls and try to integrate some stretches during your day to prevent back pain.
Use your (new) spare time at home 🏠
Even though it might sound cliché: Make the best out of the situation! Use this time at home to do all those things you always wanted to do, but never had time for.
- Start that hobby that requires time and care. I started brewing kombucha. It’s so exciting to watch that scoby grow! Or bake bread — There are awesome recipes that require time and care. Do something that is not possible when working in an office because it needs a few minutes of attention every few hours.
- Watch videos of conference talks you couldn’t attend but always wanted to watch »later«.
- Make use of your e-learning membership to finally complete online class you started months ago.
- Read those books you always wanted to read. Set yourself a goal of reading 10–20 minutes or 1 chapter each day and you will see how quickly you progress.
A Thing to avoid ❌
The 24-hr news cycle is constantly updating information on how we should behave. Watching and hearing the news all day can cause even more stress and frustration. It helps to reduce the time you consume the news (I recommend restricting yourself to 2–3 moments per day) and make space for some other topics on your mind.
And last but not least: my quick helpers for a good mood 😇
- Dance like crazy to your favorite song!
- Check those tumblr blogs with silly pictures or get lost for a few minutes on imgur.
- Search for some cat gifs, nothing is ever wrong with that.
- Watch old television programs from your childhood. I find it super funny to watch game shows from the nineties. It’s refreshingly weird.
- Brew yourself a cup of tea or coffee and get some fresh air. Step outside on the balcony or open your window and get that vitamin D.
These are a few things I try to integrate in my daily life to prevent the blues from taking over. How are you dealing with the situation and what helps you to stay healthy?
stay at home, stay healthy, stay positive
