With the latest government guidelines telling us all to stay at home and to socially distance ourselves as much as possible, it’s important we look at ways to manage our mental wellbeing going forward, as many of our regular social activities are not currently available to us.
So we’ve been looking at a few things you can do to minimise the impact this may have on your mental health.
Plan your day
While we’re working or studying from home, it is important that we all try to maintain some kind of structure to our days. The advice is to plan your day as normal and try to follow your routine as much as possible.
- Set an alarm
- Eat breakfast
- Get ready
- Plan how you’ll spend your time (writing it down might help)
- Plan activities to do on different days such as workouts
- Start or keep up with good habits
Keep a sleeping pattern
Trying to maintain a good sleeping pattern is essential as this can have a huge impact on our health. As tempting as it is to spend a few extra hours in bed at the moment, try sticking to your morning alarm and go to bed at your usual time.
Move your body
Being active can be known to reduce stress, increase energy levels, make us more alert and improve our sleep.
Whilst at home, make sure you take some time every day to get your body moving. This will help to combat the stress and anxiety you may be feeling about this situation and will also mean that you will find it easier to sleep at night.
Eat well and hydrate
This could be the ideal time to think properly about your diet and any healthy changes you might want to make. Eating and drinking regularly can help your mood and energy levels. Try to use your additional time to cook healthier, more satisfying meals and stay away from the snacks.
Drinking water is vital for your mental and physical health. Changing your routine might affect when you drink or what fluids you drink. Set an alarm to remind yourself as it’s all too easy to end up dehydrated.
Relaxation
Learning to relax and focusing on the present can help improve your mental health and decrease negative feelings.
Try some different meditation or breathing exercises to see what works for you.
See our blog on wellbeing platforms for some options on guided meditations and mindfulness https://bit.ly/2UBPsKV
Connect with others
During this time, many of us could become quite lonely, especially for people who are living alone. Potentially the most important point is to make sure you stay connected with others. Whilst we are not able to meet our friends and family in person, make sure you reach out to everyone you would normally be in contact with. Whether this is via telephone, social media or text/email messages – check in on people and keep talking.
Please also remember that students can access support from the College – drop an email to wellbeing@forthvalley.ac.uk