Mental & Physical Wellbeing: Making the Best of Coronavirus Imposed Quarantine

Never before in over a century’s time has the entire human race been completely drenched in fear and uncertainty the way it is today. The ongoing pandemic crisis has truly humbled everyone around the globe in more ways than we can count.

Strong economies, big conglomerates, bulletproof infrastructures and flawless management systems, all have been overwhelmed by the prevailing situation in ways that have never been anticipated.

Also, the people all over social media, albeit jokingly, have been quite vocal about their frustrations due to the COVID-19 imposed lock downs being observed around the world, taking away their privilege of stepping from the confines of their homes. Which is quite ironic since before the lock downs, none of us could wait for the weekends so that we could stay home and relax.

Either way, now that we’re all home and the streets are vacant, the environmental experts are actually drawing inferences that are quite logical, suggesting that the environment is starting to rejuvenate from the years of damage caused to it by pollution.

While remaining on the subject of rejuvenation, it is quite safe to say that the prevailing situation whereby we’re all ‘stuck at home’, is perhaps the perfect opportunity for all of us to rejuvenate as well, both mentally and physically.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended various physical and mental exercises that can help each individual in staying engaged and well. Let us look at these exercises one by one:

Physical Wellness:

WHO has put together an elaborate list of activities that can help anyone stay physically fit. The idea here is to issue practical and convenient wellness advice to people so as for them to not neglect their health during the quarantine period.

It is highly likely for people to get lethargic amid this obligatory down time, which is why, this simple and easy wellness regimen from WHO can be highly effective for our physical health:

• First and foremost, one ought to simple remain physically active. This could include daily chores such as fetching groceries, doing laundry, gardening, cleaning or other household activities.
• It doesn’t hurt to just take a walk everyday. In fact, walking is one of the healthiest activities you can do, regardless of the size of space that you’re doing it in. It not only keeps you physically active, but also aids you in releasing endorphins and keeping you mentally relaxed.
• You’re going to be sitting for long hours during the day, be it on account of work or something else, which is not ideal. It is better to take a break from sitting by standing up straight after every 30 minutes. It helps in terms of keeping the blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels in balance.
• All the restaurants are closed. This is the perfect opportunity for making healthy diet a part of your lifestyle. Incorporating a healthy balance of proteins and carbs in the diet can help an individual attain noticeable physical changes. You can refer to the WHO fact sheet on healthy diet to learn about diet modulation in greater detail.
• Now that you’re home, it is the perfect time to relax yourself. You can do so by adapting various meditation techniques and deep breathing exercises that, under a short amount of time, can help you calm your nerves quite effectively. Also, get sufficient sleep. Having a deep night sleep or a series of power-naps during the day can not only keep you relaxed, but also fortify your immune system.
• Finally, pick up a workout routine. The activities above will help you remain fit, but this will help you become fitter. WHO recommends for us to incorporate a 150 minute-long mild workout or a 75 minute-long intense workout in our daily routines. You can download apps or watch video tutorials on full-body workouts without the use of equipment. Or, you can adapt a full body workout regimen put together by WHO.

Mental & Psychological Wellness:

Staying home for a long time, being uncertain about the health situation, economy, job security among other things of such nature, is definitely likely to take its toll on our mental and psychological well being.

The effects of the long-time quarantine might be unique to each individual owing to varying personalities and circumstances, but there are a few common and healthy means of coping with these tumultuous times in isolation:

• The first order of business should be to plan a daily routine for yourself. People can have trouble finding meaningful activities to kill time so they often resort to sitting around and using social media, streaming online movies and/or YouTube, basically just being dormant. You can incorporate a variety of productive activities such as reading, writing, learning a new language or a skill, and a reasonable amount of entertainment time as well. Basically, everything in moderation.
• As discussed prior, staying active is an absolute must. Laying dormant or working at the desk for long portions of the day can have serious ramifications, not only on your physical health, but on your mental health as well. Incorporating a change of pace in the form of physical activity is likely to keep you mentally and psychologically fit and fresh.
• Not being able to go out with your friends doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t even talk to them. So it is important that you communicate. This will not only help you stay connected with your friends and relatives, but also help you lighten up your mind and heart from the continuous worries induced by the prevalent situation.
• The phrase, “an empty mind is a devil’s workshop.” has never rang truer than today. So in order to keep your mind from becoming the devil’s playground, it’s essential to keep yourself engaged. You can do so by playing board-games, solving puzzles, writing journals, reading a book, watching or listening to inspirational content, among a myriad of activities that can help you stay ‘initiated’.
• Ignorance can be a bliss. But it is never wise to keep living in a fool’s paradise. With that said, it is important that we remain in touch with the reality amid such circumstances, so as to not do anything that we’re not supposed to, such as for example, stepping out in a curfew, going to a crowded area or looking for a restaurant to dine in while the lock down is ongoing.

And finally, you must be mindful of the true purpose of this lock down.  People can get frustrated with constantly having to remain in a single setting, which is understandable. They might even find hilarity in the irony, but one has to know what this sacrifice of freedom is for, in order to respect it rather than feeling hatred for it.

We keep on hearing the medical experts from around the world say that there is no vaccine to battle this virus. The only means of eradication is if the people stay distant from one another to stop the spread. With that in mind, let us all honor this proposition by staying at home and ensuring the rejuvenation of our own mental and physical while we’re all here.

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