5 Ways To Deal With Stress And Anxiety During Quarantine

The change that the subsequent waves of COVID-19 have introduced in our lives has been hard to accept. The socializing, stepping out of the house for non-essential activities, living new experiences, and much more has taken the back seat because of COVID-related safety protocols and guidelines. As people stay inside their homes, devoid of contact from the outside world - such changes have added to the stress and anxiety in people's lives. If you are also feeling a bit gloomy lately and feel that despair is spreading wings around you, then worry not because we are here to rescue you. Take note of these five ways to help you deal with stress and anxiety during quarantine.

Fix the Sleep

Early to bed early to rise is the key to managing your stress and anxiety during quarantine. Another Irish proverb also underlines the importance of good sleep. “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book,” it says. It is crucial to ensure 7 to 8 hours of sleep regularly, and it becomes even more important when you are in quarantine because your mind and body are going through a lot, and you need a good night rest to allow your body to heal everything naturally.

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Cut Your Screen Time

It is an unfortunate modern life reality that people are prioritizing entertainment and social media over their health. If you love yourself and want to keep stress and anxiety at bay during quarantine, you must cut down your screen time. Here are some of the things you can do to achieve this goal. Make it a strict policy to not use social media right after waking up or before going to bed. Define a time of the day where you would use social media and stick to that routine. The same goes for consuming any OTT content. What we don't realize is that OTT platforms and social media have waged a war against sleep, and unless we learn to choose what's best for us, we are the ones who will suffer in the end. And please understand that the price we pay is not just the subscription charges, but also our health bills which we accumulate because we ignore our sleep.

Cut Down the Alcohol or Better, Say No to It

It is in the best interest of everyone looking to prioritize their health and manage their stress and anxiety to minimize alcohol consumption. If one can quit it, that will be the best thing one can do for their health and well being. Smoking is another arch-nemesis of good health. In the modern lives of constant hustle, a larger mass is leaning on to alcohol and smoking for momentary relief. They tend to oversee that these sessions of instant relief do more harm than good in the long run. They ruin your overall well-being. And since we are talking about managing stress and anxiety, it seems imperative to underline that alcohol and smoking to any degree are perfect elixirs for stress and anxiety in our bodies. They promote the accumulation of stress and anxiety rather than relieving them. Hence, no smoking and no alcohol is the best policy.

Hydrate Your Way to Better Health

While alcohol is a strict no, water is a yes! Ensure that body is always hydrated. Try to have 4 to 5 litres of water every day. While drinking water is good, how you drink is equally important. Gulping down 2 litres in one sitting will do more harm than good. Try to spread your water consumption throughout the day in small portions for best results.

Elevate the Mood

Listen to some mood-elevating music. Read good books, start doing yoga even for fifteen minutes a day, try some Om chanting, spread time around nature, try hands at gardening, picking up a hobby and devoting some time to it. Do whatever you can to elevate your mood.

Once you instil these habits in your life, you will find your stress and anxiety levels significantly come down, whether you're in quarantine or not.

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(Pritika Singh, CEO of Prayag Hospital & Research Pvt Ltd.)