Mental Hygiene Practices During COVID-19
Your key to coming out of the pandemic better than you were before
We’re almost 6 months into the pandemic and I feel I have seen people go one of a few ways. They either get really into their health and start making time for exercise, eating right and picking up new hobbies or they go in the other direction of not making time to exercise, eating a lot of unhealthy comfort foods, and making poor decisions that essentially affect their mental health.
I’ve also seen people almost go into a yo-yo effect with their mental health just as diets do. For some, going all in or all out isn’t going to help in the long run. This is why diets don’t work because they aren’t sustainable.
You need to find your medium here. You don’t need to get extremely fit and come out of the pandemic with a 6 pack but you also don’t need to come out of the pandemic with a beer belly either. You want to come out strong and prepared. Getting in mental shape will help you get in shape in all the other parts of your life.
Finding a way to take away the stress of all the uncertainty is what's important here. We are all in this together and it can be reassuring to remind yourself that you are not alone.
Practicing good mental hygiene will lead you to make better decisions for your physical and mental health. It will help you break through those inner battles and get you to build a solid foundation for yourself and the life you want to live.
It’s not too late and it seems like we all have a little more time these days. Take advantage of this moment and start winning at life now so that when this is all over, you will already be one step ahead and be able to apply your new skills and practices.
1. Practice Acceptance
This is the one word I have been sharing regularly when discussing the difficulties that come with these uncertain times. What's the best way to take all of this uncertainty? With acceptance. When you learn to accept, you learn to let go. When you learn to let go you start to start to let go of control, doubt, fear, and so on. This also helps get you in touch with the present moment, that when you take a second to look at your life right now, in this very moment, everything is actually okay. And with that, you gain a sense of ease and peace.
2. Set Goals
Now that you have brought acceptance into your life, some things should feel a little easier to do, such as setting a goal. This can be literally anything from big to small. What do you want to look forward to? This can be as simple as starting a workout routine, learning a new language, finishing a book, mastering a new skill, etc. The point is to have something to look forward to in the future because this too shall pass and there will be a time that comes when we will all look back at this and feel proud of what we were able to accomplish during this time that we have all been given.
3. Practice Mindfulness
This applies to every part of our life. How are you eating, thinking, and feeling? These three wellness aspects affect everything we do. For example, practicing mindfulness when deciding what to eat. Are you eating unhealthy comfort foods? What are you feeling when you reach for that not-so-good-for-you snack? Hone in on that feeling and don’t ignore it. It’s the perfect time to recognize and take action on your thoughts. We are lucky beings because we have the power to control how we think and feel. Imagine if you applied mindfulness to your life more regularly, what would your life look like? What would that feel like?
4. Have Self-Compassion
We are human and it's normal to have feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, and even sadness. When these feelings arise, don’t forget to acknowledge them and share how you feel. We tend to put ourselves down so quickly and we become our worst enemy. You’re never alone because we all have experienced this.
This is a great time to become your own best friend, really get to know yourself. Give yourself the advice you so freely give to those that you love and take it easy because everything will be okay if you take care of yourself first.
5. Find Connection
Take a look at all the resources that are available to you. Family, friends, news, social media, and so on. Which ones have the best intentions for you? Connecting is so valuable for our existence, our life depends on it. But in a world where we have so much external resources of information and stimulation we have to be mindful of how and who we are connecting to. Surround yourself with people who you want to be a reflection of. Find purpose in who you spend your time with and how you spend it.
6. Practice Self-love
If you know anything about self-love then we can agree it is one of the best feelings in the world. When you can be so happy with yourself and give yourself unconditional love in this very present moment, life is good — no matter the circumstances. When you learn to love yourself it becomes easier to accept, easier to let go, easier to take care of yourself. Putting yourself first will essentially become natural and it has a beautiful effect of having your cup so full that all you want to do is share it with others and this is a time that we all need to feel a little more loved.
Take care
Take care of yourself first and it will be easier to take care of others. Follow good hygiene and don’t forget to follow these simple steps for good mental hygiene and when this all passes over you will come out mentally stronger and better than before. You’ll be one step ahead of the rest!
