Helping You To Deal With Your Anxiety During A Pandemic
There is no getting away from the fact that this last year has had a severe effect on our mental health and wellbeing. These have been unprecedented times that we have all been going through. After all, who would have thought we would go through lockdowns, staying at home and actually witness a global pandemic. The one thing that many of us will have in common is the effect that it will have had on our mental health.
There is no denying that we all might be struggling, some more than others, so how can you help any anxious feelings that you may now be experiencing as a result of this pandemic. So how can you start to take better care of your mental health? With that in mind, here are some of the things you can consider.
Try meditation
One of the first things you can consider would be to try meditation. This can be something you start to do simply by focusing on your breathing and trying to relax in the best way that you can, but you could also try guided meditations that can help you to focus in a different way. It isn’t for everyone, but if you can take a few minutes of your day to focus on breathing, close your eyes in quiet surroundings, it could make the world of difference to your anxious thoughts and enable you to focus and seep out any unwanted or unneeded worries.
Exercise can help
There is no doubt that exercise can help with anxiety. Doctors have said it for many years that if you increase your exercise levels and try and be more active it can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and even depression. However, while many of us know that exercise can be a huge help, a lot of us can struggle with the execution of it. You don’t have to go to a gym. A brisk walk each day, perhaps a run, or even workouts at home can make a big difference to how you feel day to day and certainly help with anxiety that you may be experiencing.
Turn to natural alternatives
Of course, some people look to alternative remedies to try and alleviate issues they may be experiencing, and alternative therapies can be something that you might want to try. Many have said that vaping can be a great way to handle anxiety and using herbal vaping liquids can be a great way to do it. There are a few different flavour concentrates that you could try and you may notice a positive effect. Other alternative therapies can include talking therapies, over zoom or over the phone or even things like Reiki.
Eating the right things
Many of us will agree that what we put into our bodies is ultimately what we get out of it, so you may want to think about the diet you have and the food that you consume. It might be that you want to avoid sugary snacks, junk food or indulging in all of the comfort food and focus on a more balanced diet to help you start to feel better. If you are struggling with your diet, you could try to make some of your favourite foods healthier or increase your intake of fruit and vegetables to begin with. Another way to improve your diet would be to increase your water intake. This can have its own positive effects on you such as improving mood, increasing energy and also enabling you to look and feel better from within.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
There are things that you should avoid if you are hoping to combat anxiety and anxious thoughts and that would be caffeine and alcohol. They can stimulate you in a different way and sometimes it can be negative instead of the positive effect that you hope for. Caffeine can cause you to have trouble sleeping whereas alcohol can be seen as a depressant.
Self care is important
Finally, self care is vitally important. You need to consider some of the things that help you to feel good about yourself. Take that bath or shower when you need to. Read a book when you can. Sit outside in the fresh air. Do more of what makes you happy and you will start to feel happier within yourself. The more you can do this, the more you will notice that the feeling lasts with you and it can help you to feel more at ease with your anxiety.
Let’s hope these tips help you to deal with your anxiety during the pandemic and beyond.