“It is not okay to not be okay.” Scarlett Clark, CEO Smart Girl Tribe. At the moment, you might be feeling more anxious or worried. Maybe you have started noticing effects on your mental health that you haven’t experienced before. As an educator, my job has been incredibly overwhelming so I understand. Here are some ways I have been protecting my mental health during self-isolation.
Create a ‘safe space’ for yourself. This space that you create should be your place where you can go to relax, unwind and regroup. It needs to be away from your partner or family, away from news and social media. Your ‘safe space’ needs to be tailored to you. If you find reading relaxing then make sure a book is available in your safe space. Personally, I love candles and think they are one of the most calming products available. My ‘safe space’ has a candle burning, no phone and some music playing.
Get as much fresh air as possible. Obviously with our current guidelines in the UK, around Europe and USA it is pretty hard to get outside. Fresh air could also be opening a window or sitting in your garden. These two alone can help clear your mind and relieve some stress.
Stick to a routine. A lot of us are not displaying symptoms but have still been asked to stay inside or work from home. Make sure you maintain some kind of routine during this difficult time. Add in time in the day that you will go for a walk, go to your safe space or call a friend.
Keep yourself active. This is probably going to be the most difficult thing to keep up with during this time. Do some research and find a gym video or collection of workouts on YouTube or as a provision from your gym. Be prepared for your body to change especially if you are used to doing heavy weights and don’t have the tools at home to accommodate this.
Connect with people. We are so lucky that we live in an age where technology is at our fingertips and we can access things like Skype, Face Time or other video call providers such as House Party. I try to call friends or family once a day to check in on everyone. You could add it into your routine to check in on at least one person a day that doesn’t live in your household. I can guarantee that someone else you speak to is having the same concerns about their mental health that you are.
Hopefully these tips can help you to maintain a healthy mind over the next few weeks. Even though you might not be able to go and speak to someone about your mental health they may be able to offer advice over the phone. Don’t keep your feelings to yourself because I imagine the person you tell is feeling the exact same way. Why not try the Smart Girl Tribe #happytriber on Instagram and show us what you are doing to keep yourself happy and healthy.