Being cooped up at home during a pandemic can take a big toll on your mental health. This is especially true if you already suffer from stress, anxiety, or depression.
You are likely to be cut off physically from your friends, family, and general support system. You can’t do the things you would normally do to have fun or relax. And to pile on to all of that, you are probably worried about money or catching COVID-19 yourself.
Thankfully there are proven methods for improving your mental health that won’t require you to leave the safety and comfort of your home. Here are five of the best ways to reduce your levels of stress or anxiety and boost your overall mood with free resources you can use at home.
#1 | Yoga
There have been many studies to test the theory that yoga can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve your mood. It can also improve the quality of your sleep—another major factor in your mental health.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it. Yoga is a form of exercise, which means your brain gets flooded with dopamine and serotonin (natural chemicals that boost your mood).
It also is a mild form of meditation meant to keep you calm and relaxed. That’s why yoga is used in various types of psychotherapy. Even if you’ve never done yoga before, you can find guided classes for beginners being streamed by yoga classes live. Or you can find existing YouTube channels with hundreds of videos to try.
#2 | Mindfulness Meditation
Speaking of meditation, another common treatment method for people with depression or anxiety is Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness has been a proven treatment to help greatly reduce stress and anxiety.
Just like with yoga, you can find videos and resources online to use from home to practice guided meditation from mindfulness practitioners.
If you need help getting started, you can try calling mental health hotlines and getting recommendations or directions on how to find tools to help.
All you need is a quiet and comfortable place to sit in your home, and something to play a video or audio file with the guided meditation. Eventually, you can learn the skills to practice it yourself, even when you’re out and about and need a moment to keep calm.
#3 | CBD and CBG Products
In recent years there has been an explosion of interest and studies into the use of cannabis products for mental health treatments.
There is some difficulty given the legal status of marijuana in many parts of the world, which is why CBD products have become so popular. Unlike marijuana, CBD products are completely legal everywhere because they do not make you high.
Some studies have found that CBD reduces stress and improves the quality of sleep. If you want something a bit more potent, then CBG the new CBD might help. It’s gaining a lot of traction in the health community as a natural supplement for mood and mental health.
The best part is that you can use it in conjunction with all these other tips to improve your mood as much as possible.
#4 | Go to Sleep
Sleep has been touched on already, but it is important enough to have its own section. Getting good quality sleep every day can have a significant impact on your mental and overall health.
Studies have shown as many as 65% to 90% of adults and children diagnosed with depression have an issue with getting regular sleep.
You might find that this pandemic and being stuck inside more often is causing you to lose sleep, so it’s crucial to your wellbeing to do everything you can to get sleep.
You can take melatonin to make you feel more sleepy, do yoga, or take CBD to try for a deeper sleep. Do some exercise to get physically tired, get tested for sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, and so on.
#5 | Stay Connected Online
Social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t socialize; it just means you can’t be in close physical proximity with people as you do it.
Thankfully, the world we live in now makes it easy to be social online! You can stay connected with your friends and family through a number of mediums. You can use Facetime, Skype, Zoom, and other online video chats to see people’s faces.
You can play video games online, or play games like Jackbox using Zoom. You can all stay connected, talk about the news, what new hobbies you’ve taken up, what new recipes you try, and more. Every little thing to keep in contact with your support network like this helps avoid feeling isolated and depressed.
These five tips are just the start but have all examined by people in the psychiatric community as possible ways to help fight mental health issues.
Some may not work well for you, but you can also try all of them at once to get the best possible effect. You can also try general exercising or taking up new hobbies to feel confident. Take hot baths or showers to relax, and regulate your diet so you have more energy.