How to Keep Your Mental Health Intact During COVID-19
Tips on staying healthy mentally during these times
Everyone now has an idea of the severity of COVID-19: the pandemic of the new decade. Many have had classes and work moved remotely, and haven’t been able to see loved ones in weeks; me included. For most countries and states, practicing social distancing and limiting travel outside your home has been strongly encouraged, forcing us in our homes all day, every day, with a trip to Walmart being the highlight of the week.
I suffer from anxiety and depression and I find much comfort in my routine and some sense of normalcy. But having everything change all at once, and this drastically, it has sent me for a whirl and I feel myself falling into a mindset that isn’t the healthiest. Luckily I realized this soon enough and took the necessary steps to make sure that I don’t, basically, go crazy. I want to share my tips and advice for people who find themselves in a slump and lack all motivation to attend your ZOOM meetings.
Creating your own sense of normalcy during all of this is crucial in making sure that you stay sane and level-headed. I love showers and I’m more of a night shower-er, but in order for me to actually get up at a decent time and do the work I need to do, I now take showers in the morning. Doing this gives me something to look forward to the following day and having it in the morning jump starts my productivity. So finding something that you enjoy and doing it every day, preferably around the same time, will make life feel normal.
Example Schedule:
| 8:00 am | Wake up, take shower, make breakfast |
|---|---|
| 9:30 am | Theo Lecture |
| 10:45 am | Finish any notes for Theo and do reading and assignment for next class |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch and walk |
| 2:00 pm | Accounting Lecture and Marketing Lectures with notes |
| 4:30 pm | Computing slides and look at lab |
| 5:00 pm | Rest of the day to myself, but clean room and do laundry at some point |
I’m really into bullet journaling, but I left all my markers and fun stationary back on campus, leaving me with a really boring planner. So, I now religiously use Google Calendar to keep track of all my zoom lectures, new due dates, and I can make a to-do list for each day using ‘Keep’ within Google Calendar.
I really really miss my friends back at school and I haven’t been able to hang out with my friends back home. But we’ve all made an effort to facetime every once in a while just to check in and to enjoy each others’ company utilizing ZOOM. But don’t check in too often, as I’ve realized with everyone being at home all the time, there isn’t much to talk about after a while :/.
The news makes my anxiety shoot through the roof and I find myself in a sea of articles and videos that do nothing but cause more worry. I now just keep up every couple of days just to see if anything has changed in terms of laws and restrictions and I watch Dr. Mike on YouTube who gives regular updates on the disease itself, usually more accurately than most politicians and government leaders. You can check him out here, and he’s nice to look at.
Being stuck in my house all day with all my family members is nice for about 2 hours and then I’m ready to bite everyone’s head off, so I make an effort to get out and take a walk on my own every day just to get a change of scenery and to enjoy the nice spring weather.
As we don’t really know how this virus is going to play out in the next couple of weeks and months, the one thing we do have control of is ourselves and our mental health. taking the necessary steps to make sure we’re healthy mentally is just as important as physically. But still, be sure to wash your hands and limit your contact with others!
Here are my other articles: HerCampus