Top Mental Health Tips You Need to Know About

No one could predict a few months ago that we would have to distance ourselves from one another and even harshly isolate certain members of our communities in order to preserve human lives.

Sadly enough, this is the I-don't-even-know-what week of the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These days we are encouraged to distance ourselves from other people and stay at home as much as possible.

The government measures have become an inevitability thanks to the power and the degree of this viral outbreak we are facing.

And, yes, you should stay at home and take every necessary measure to protect yourself and everyone else but not many experts and people in general pay enough attention to our mental wellbeing.

Mental wellbeing should not be overlooked. After all, the psychological impact of quarantine can be great.

I won't mention the detrimental effects it can cause. I am sure you are familiar enough to figure out how bad the impact can be.

Below you can find some of the methods that have worked for me whenever I needed to alleviate the stress and strain caused by this tragedy the world is facing today.

Take a look, it might be useful.

Introduce healthy habits

I know that this is way easier said than done. But, you have to do it. There is no other way around. 

This is the most effective tip I can share with you all. It worked like a charm for me. Well, at least so far.

Program yourself to fall asleep at the same time every evening and remember to wake up at the same time each morning. This sounds easy but we can all agree that it's not. I still can't fix my sleep pattern. 

I often burn that midnight oil whenever I have some work left to do for the evening. But, since I decided to leave the city and live through this s*itty situation like a country bumpkin, I had to start getting up earlier.

And, I don't want to sound like Gary Vee or any other bs motivational speaker (usually a millionaire preaching from a first-world country how we are all lazy and pathetic whereas most of their fortune comes from an inheritance), but you need to start going to bed earlier.

Create a daily routine and stick to it. 

My day starts with a nice breakfast at about 10 in the morning, I then go out for a walk or a run, I try to go as far off into the wilderness as possible. Trust me, green leaves and mountain creeks are a proper remedy for a depressed and anxious head. Just trust me on this one, please.

I go back home to eat lunch with my loved ones and that is usually it when it comes to going out. 

The curfew starts at 5 in the afternoon and I usually start working on my projects by then. 

After some 3 to 5 hours, I go back to the living room to socialize with the two people I am spending most of my time with. 

Finally, the evenings are the most difficult part for me. I rarely have enough patience to watch a movie or a TV show. However, I try to. And that makes me tired enough so that I can fall asleep by midnight.

Voila, here you go.

Break up your day based on activities/environment

You may have figured out on your own that I break up my day according to activities I regularly enjoy.

If you can't get out of your apartment, if you don't have a porch or a garden like I do, you have to find another way to break up your day into a few parts.

Find tasks or activities that will make it easy to structure your days. If you can change your environment for different activities.

When I go for a walk, I hike for hours in the hills. I go from the scenery of my home to the green scenery filled with trees, silence, green leaves, and the blue sky.

Remember, it is important to enjoy more than one environment on a daily basis. Unfortunately, those of you who are limited to an apartment can't really do this. That is why I 'fled' the city.

Look through the window, watch a tropical mix video on YouTube, be creative. Switch off from this world for at least an hour every day. That will save you.

Hell, I switch off from this world even when there is no virus or quarantine.

Take care of yourself

First of all, I corrected my diet. I started eating breakfast that is sufficient in calories and carbs to keep me up until lunch.

I timed my meals to make it easier for my body to get used to the healthy regime I haven't followed before.

Taking care of yourself also means getting enough sleep. You should get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

I have always struggled with my sleep pattern so I can't really give you a definitive piece of information or a 100% accurate piece of advice, but try to sleep for at least 8 hours a day even if you have to take a nap or two during the daytime.

Finally and most importantly, work out if you can. Even if it's only stretching or meditation.

In order to preserve the overall health of your body, you need to take care of both your mind and your body.

Anima sana in corpore sano (I know it's cheesy but let's not kid ourselves, it is true).

Turn off the TV

Look, the numbers are not good. It doesn't look nice. And, listening to your PM or other dolts ruling your country will do no help.

Try to avoid mainstream media channels. This applies to every medium you are using to read the news. 

Stay informed about the situation, but only trust reliable sources. On top of that, you should also limit that kind of intake.

I used to spend countless hours on my phone going through Reddit, reading the news, watching videos on YouTube related to the virus and that was my biggest mistake so far.

It was really easy for me to get overwhelmed. Social media do not offer a way out since everyone is only talking about the virus. And it's perfectly understandable since that is the global topic number 1.

Don't think about the future too much

There is no point. It's quite simple, you will end up overthinking and that never ended well for anyone. No matter the situation.

So, instead of thinking about scenarios that could happen, take one day at a time.

Do not project too far into the future. Never forget that the measures we are facing now are temporary. Also, know that we are all facing this problem. You are not alone.

Just try to focus on the positives and don't overthink. Amplify nice things you see or hear. Even if it's a cute dog you see somewhere online or a news article on someone who has successfully recovered from the virus.

Of course, take five minutes of your time each evening to honor the caregivers who are on the frontlines every day doing their best to stop this wicked virus.

Final thoughts

This will be a thing of the past soon. Do not forget that.

Instead, take this time and try to make some use of it.

I am not saying that you should learn a language you are not familiar with or spend every minute trying to obtain new skills. 

I mean, I am a lazy son of an honest woman. I was, I am, and I will always be like that.

But, try to make the most of this and don't overthink.

These tips are working quite well for me so far. This is my 30th day of 'segregation' and I can't really rant about anything.

Nebeskom narodu,

Čuvajte se, pobedićemo, toliko puta smo već pobeđivali, sjebaćemo i ovaj smrdljivi virus. 

Živeli!