Anxious, depressed, and stressed-out are three common emotions everyone is feeling during the pandemic. We fear for our loved ones, our own safety, and our future. Some can’t help but continue working outside just to earn a living. Others got laid off after their companies shut down. For others, the stress of being at home 24/7 while juggling housework, childcare, and their jobs triggered mental health issues.
With everything that’s going on and all the issues you have to face, your mental health can easily suffer. Thankfully, there are things you can do at home to lessen your stress. The following are just five examples of DIY mental health tactics you can start doing today.
Boost Melatonin Production the Natural Way
Your brain’s pineal gland produces melatonin which is responsible for your body’s circadian rhythm. A melatonin supplement is often prescribed to people who have sleep problems. Increasing your body’s melatonin production can help you sleep more and get enough energy to get through the day, promote eye health, boost the levels of human growth hormone, and even help people with heartburn.
Sometimes, people experience heartburn, but they actually are nursing an eating disorder. It would be best to consult with a professional to check the real cause of your heartburn. Find a local gastroenterologist for persistent heartburn and consult with our general physician for better results.
The good news is, you can naturally boost melatonin production. This includes the following activities.
- Reduce your caffeine intake
- Reduce tension by taking a hot bath
- Sleep in a dark, distraction-free bedroom
- Increase your exposure to natural sunlight
- Quit or limit the number of cigarettes used daily
- Eat foods rich in melatonin or tryptophan like oats, chicken, cottage cheese, and turkey
Play Badminton With Your Loved Ones
Badminton can be a safe bonding activity that you and your loved ones can play during the pandemic. You get to have fun in a safe distance, socialize and exercise your whole body which are activities all good for mental health. Studies show that this can even boost brain performance since you’re making quick decisions while coordinating your body movements to play the game.
If you are stressed about home, work, or childcare, this can be a great way to physically burn your mental stress. This can double as an engaging activity with the family and can also help ease their boredom during these challenging times. You will surely feel the burn shortly after a few games of badminton and even achieve a healthier weight mid-pandemic the fun way.
Use Different Smartphone Apps
You can download lots of applications on your smartphone. But if you don’t invest in the right ones, then your mental health will surely suffer. You want to spend your time using apps that can boost your health and not one who will only do more harm than good.
For one, if your main source of stress is your inability to make through your deadlines, you can download apps that will remind you to tackle tasks according to your priority, schedule your day in favor of your deadlines as well as communication and collaboration tools you can use for your team. If you tend to procrastinate, download a Pomodoro app. This productivity app lets you know when to focus on your tasks for 25 minutes at a time while taking 5 minute-breaks in between.
Mental health apps, on the other hand, are a great way to find reliable resources that can help you boost your mental health. For example, if you are starting to have suicidal thoughts, you can download a suicide prevention app. These can contain a list of coping mechanisms in case of suicidal thoughts, can contact your loved ones for you if you need them, or even reach out to a trained counselor to help you out.
Change Your Daily Routine a Bit
Some people thrive and succeed if they follow the same routine every day. But sometimes, it won’t hurt to change things up a bit to boost your creativity and confidence, experience a different kind of happiness, and have a different mental outlook. Instead of being a slave to monotony, choose to do otherwise.
You don’t necessarily need to change your whole routine just to break the monotony. You can opt to start a new hobby, change your route on your way to the grocery store, or call a different loved one each day. This can be as simple as cooking a new recipe dinner, watching an episode of your favorite rerun, or treating yourself to a half an hour me time once everyone else in the house is asleep.
Your mental health matters now that there is a pandemic going on. Taking care of your mental health starts with taking care of yourself, which in turn, helps boost your physical health. Luckily, you don’t need to go far just to practice mental health strategies as there are things you can do back home to achieve such a goal.