It is undoubtedly a difficult period for everyone, and being cheerful might be harder to do for some. The absence of a regular daily routine, as well as spending the majority of your time at home, isolated from friends and loved ones, does not help.
So, although you’ve probably scooped up a few positive habits in the fight against pandemic — making healthier choices, wearing protective shields, and physical distancing — you’ve also probably picked up a few poor ones that could affect your mood and mental well-being. While breaking these habits might not cure all of your issues or alleviate all of your anxieties, the effort will undoubtedly help enhance your emotional and behavioral energy, allowing you to maintain your composure and battle the ones you don’t talk about.
Insufficient or excessive sleep
Sleeping insufficiently or excessively has a noticeable influence on our daily performance and eventually our mood. Indeed, research indicates that even a week of inadequate sleep patterns increases stress, anger, melancholy, irritation, and weariness. Additionally, in a vicious loop, anxiety and negative emotions can result in agitation and alertness, making falling and staying asleep increasingly tricky. Thus, reestablishing a regular sleep routine is critical for your mental and physical well-being.
Neglecting a nutritious diet
There is a significant correlation between eating and feeling. What you eat has a direct impact on how you feel. Studies have linked a diet heavy in red and processed meat, refined sugar and grains, fat-rich products, and insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables to an elevated risk of depression and anxiety disorders. Thus, adding plant-based foods like vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, and olive oil to your diet to balance the nutrition is ideal.
Skipping workouts and daily stretches
Exercising boosts your mood by generating endorphins and serotonin, the human brain’s “feel-good” chemicals, which boost sensations of happiness while also lowering sadness, anxiety, and stress indicators. Additionally, exercise promotes sleeping better, which results in an enhanced mood and can raise one’s self-confidence.
Begin with moderate intensity exercises for at least half an hour 5 days a week. If you’re unable to attend a gym, you can create a space for meditation or workouts at home. It can be anywhere, from your recently clutter-free living room to your newly installed landscape garden.
This is vital as doing your daily routine in the open air is proved to help fight stress, depression, and even bad moods.
Detaching yourself emotionally
Humans are highly sociable creatures. And while it’s critical to keep a safe distance from individuals to help protect yourself from the virus, it’s equally crucial to stay connected with people who matter. The inability to communicate and connect with others can severely affect our mental health, causing anxiety, despair, depression, feelings of isolation, and even chronic illnesses.
Although vaccines are already on the rollout, there may still be other issues and factors hindering our communication with our loved ones. Make a conscious effort to remain in touch with your family and friends. If you aren’t living with or near them, you can always check on each other through video calls or texts.
However, while it’s crucial to remain connected, it’s also critical to keep track of your screen time and prevent the tremendous strain and low self-esteem that may result from excessive social media use.
Too much news time
The news might appear unduly pessimistic and even overpowering at times. While it is crucial to remain fully updated with what is happening and protect yourself and others, it’s also essential to know where and when to draw the line when your feel things are becoming too much to bear. As news consumption skyrocketed in the early months of the pandemic, reports say seven out of ten Americans felt they needed a break from the news.
That record stands true to this day. Try to minimize the quantity of news that you consume daily and the total exposure you allow yourself from all the information coming in. Stay present and remain vigilant.
It’s always best to reassess what you’re doing in your life so that you know what toxic routine or behavior you should try to get rid of. For example, you can always find ways to put an end to your perfectionist tendencies or procrastination, address your emotional problems, eliminate toxic individuals from your life, and get adequate sleep.
Of course, one cannot eradicate all of these negative behaviors at once. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on a single point and commit to working on it. Eventually, the positive benefits you obtain will motivate you to focus and give up another toxic habit.
