Taking care of your mental health when you can’t go outside.

We’re going through a rather unusual time right now, one we never knew we’d face. Social isolation is not something we had ever imagined having to deal with, but it has come on so quickly that we hardly had time to prepare.

I know I’m not the only one feeling quite anxious and uneasy about what is happening in our country (and the world) right now. There are so many unknowns coming that my mind barely knows how to make sense of it all.

People are having to work from home, businesses are closing, we’re being told not to travel or gather in large groups. It feels like the world has gone a bit mad, and with it my mental health hasn’t exactly been great.

In the interests of helping myself, and more importantly others, I thought I would put together a little list of ways to protect and maintain your mental health during this trying time. How you can still look after your mind and body even when you’re stuck inside.

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How to protect your mental health in social isolation.

I’m by no means an expert on this, I’m just trying to muddle along as best I can.

Back off from social media.

Social media has been a real source of stress for me this past week. Every other tweet or post is about the pandemic, it is all everyone seems to talk about.

The news is ever changing – updating on things that have been closed or cancelled, on new precautions to take. And all it ever seems to do is add to my anxiety.

That’s why I am trying to reduce my social media use. In social isolation it is hard because you want to be connected to people, but there are other ways to do that without scrolling through Facebook.

Take a break, it may do you some good!

Check in with family and friends.

I know we must all have at least one person in our life who is at high risk, but even if not it’s a great idea to take this opportunity to check in with the people we care about.

How are they doing? Is there anything they need?

Sometimes just speaking to someone else, and helping them through something like this can do wonders for your own mental health. There may not be a lot you can do but just letting them talk it out with someone and showing them that you’re there can be really helpful – for both them and you.

Even if it’s just a simple text message, try and reach out to someone.

Stay connected.

Social media may not be the best thing for us right now but it does have it’s perks. You can use it, as well as other technology, to stay connected.

You may not be able to meet up for a drink, but you can skill Skype/Facetime. You can create a Facebook event or group to keep up with each other during isolation and do something fun.

There are loads of multiplayer games you could get involved with, and Netflix has a party mode so you can watch a film together.

These are just a few ideas, but it’s good to try and find a way to still be social – especially if you live alone. I for one know how your mental health can start to deteriorate if you spend too much time alone, so it’s really important to try and stay connect with whoever you can and have some fun.

Be grateful.

The world is full of a lot of negativity right now, I can feel it seeping into every area of my life. I’ve already written about the benefits of gratitude, and I feel like we need it now more than ever.

No matter how small, try to think of the things you have to be grateful for depsite the pandemic and social isolation. It will help to distract you from the negative and improve your mood.

I am particularly thankful that I have a supportive partner who can visit multiple shops to find the things we need, as I really don’t have the energy.

What are you thankful for?

Exercise, or at the very least move around.

I know in the mental health community we are all completely sick of hearing the benefits of exercise for your mental health – and I am totally there with you.

But in the case of social isolation, we are all going to be spending a lot of time at home. The amount of movement we do is going to be seriously reduced, because we wont be going to work, or to school, or shopping, or anything else that we usually do. Its easy to feel cooped up in a situation like this, and our mental health will definitely suffer if we don’t at least try to move about a bit.

Social distancing is about staying away from other people or risky situations, but you can still go out for a walk if you need some fresh air. There are loads of Youtube workouts you can try (I definitely recommend yoga, it’s relaxing and good for you), or you can just spend 5 minutes or so doing some squats or lunges, or any thing.

It doesn’t really matter what you do, even cleaning is exercise, just try and do a little something to keep your mental health in check.

Start a project/Set some goals.

It’s good to have a goal to work towards in order to distract yourself from what is going on, and also achieve a sense of accomplishment.

I know how awful I feel when I’ve not been able to be productive, and the toll it takes on my mental health. So I am planning on throwing myself into my blog a bit more, as I’ve not been able to keep up with it much lately.

I’m also planning on finishing a scarf I’ve been crocheting, and I am hoping to make my way though some more books that I’ve been meaning to read.

It’s good to have goals to work towards, even outside of working from home, some things to check off the to do list. Just ensure they are attainable goals – you don’t want to make yourself feel any worse.

Learn something new.

In line with that this is the perfect opportunity to learn something new. We are bound to have more free time now, and what better goal to achieve than to learn something you’ve wanted to for a while.

Is it a language? Playing an instrument? Cooking? Make-up? Anthing!

There are loads of free online courses you can do in various different areas, Youtube videos to watch. The internet is your oyster, as it were, use it!

Relax.

Possibly the most important one.

Relax. As often as you can.

Relax in whatever way you relax best, and just enjoy the moment.

You could meditate, watch ASMR, read, nap, watch a film, listen to music, have a bath, put on a face mask. Literally anything at all.

Just try to take this period of time as easy as you can. One day, or even one hour at a time.

We can ALL get through this.

Thank you for reading, and I am hoping this is helpful. If there is anything you would add to this list feel free to comment below – we can all help eachother through.

If you want some more simple self-care tips then feel free to read about my easy night time self-care routine.

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