Essential Tips For Looking After Your Wellbeing
During this uncertain time when we are being told to stay at home where possible, many of us are concerned about our families well being as well as our own. Looking after your mental health is extremely important so that’s why we have put together 8 Essential tips on how to look after your wellbeing at home!
- Ensuring You Get Enough Sleep
Everyone needs sleep for their bodies and minds to rest and recover. However, sometimes we underestimate the power of getting a good nights sleep. When our bodies are used to a certain sleeping pattern, it can take up to two weeks for them to adjust to a new one. Often, if we know we aren’t at work the next day, there is a tendency to have a ‘lazy morning’ where we don’t leave the safety blanket of our beds. Although this is fine to do occasionally, it can become a bad habit to get into. By not getting up and ready for the day, we can trick our minds into thinking that it is ‘too late’ to turn the day around and end up spending the whole day lounging around our homes. Then when our normal bedtime comes around, we don’t feel tired which leads to restlessness and feeling irritated. The following day we can feel exhausted and lethargic with no energy causing another unproductive day. As you can see, this is a very easy cycle to fall into.
For these reasons, it is important we try to stick to our normal sleeping routines even if we don’t have much planned for the day ahead. Getting up and going to bed at the same/similar time that we would do when going to work enables us to feel ready to accomplish our day and in turn helps us get a good night rest at the end of it.
- Staying Hydrated
Drinking enough water is crucial for your physical and mental health. Having a new routine of working from home or not working at all can alter when you have a drink and what that drink is. If you don’t consume enough water throughout the day it could lead to sugar cravings and cause fatigue and headaches. Therefore keeping on top of it is very important! To track your water intake, you can set alarms on your phone to remind you to have a drink or use one of the many free apps to prompt you (such as ‘Water Reminder – Daily Tracker’). Health officials say we should try to consume 8 glasses (that hold 8 ounces of water) per day, or in other words the ‘8×8’ rule. If you don’t think you consume enough water already, this could be one of your goals for the next few weeks of working from home.
- Exercising Daily
We all know that exercise is important for our wellbeing as it releases endorphins which helps our mood to brighten, although sometimes we forget that it also has a huge impact on how anxious and stressed we feel. Just by doing 10-20 minutes of exercise a day, can relieve tension within our minds and bodies. Being indoors all day and not socialising with friends and family can cause anxiety to build up inside. So to help look after ourselves, exercise can have a huge positive impact on how we feel not only physically but mentally.
- Clean & Tidy
Whilst we are spending so much time at home, it can be easy to become lazy and think ‘I’ll just do the dishes in the morning’ or ‘I’ll just put that away tomorrow’. But by doing this, we are avoiding tasks that can improve our mood and that also ensure we are living in a clean space (which is very important). Having a tidy work area or a tidy space to live in can be said to reduce stress as we aren’t worried about when we are going to have to deal with the mess we are avoiding. This has a knock on effect as the tidier our homes, the easier they are to clean which then lowers the level of unwanted bacteria around you. Therefore, although it may seem like an insignificant job, putting off cleaning that dirty pan could have a bigger impact than you may think.
- Daily Schedule
With no boss around or no ‘home time’ to aim for, it can be easy to get into a unproductive schedule. However, for the sake of your well being, it is important to set out a daily schedule in order to help you still feel productive even if you aren’t completing tasks that you would normally see as a big achievement. An easy way to set out your daily schedule is to write a ‘To Do List’ and shape your day around that. For example, if you want to go for your one walk a day in the morning, put that near the beginning of the list so that by the time you get to the end, you know you will have accomplished that goal. It may seem simple, but by seeing all the ticks next to your ‘To Do List’ at the end of your day can really help boost your mood and ensure you have got the most out of your day.
- Time Outside
Being stuck inside is definitely going to take a toll on your wellbeing, especially if you are someone who is used to being outdoors a lot. Make sure you aim to spend at least half an hour of your day either sat in your garden or on a walk or run near your home to ensure you get some fresh air and sunlight. Without vitamin D, your mood can drop dramatically and could cause a wide range of health issues so get outside and soak up that sunshine!
- Keep in Touch
Many people may feel like they are annoying their friends and family by having to message or call all the time rather than being able to see them face to face. But you must remember, we are all in the same boat. Everyone will be feeling isolated and everyone may feel lonely, even if they live with their family. By communicating with our loved ones, it can help us feel like we aren’t alone and remind us that the reason we are staying home is to protect our loved ones. Remind each other that this is only temporary and when you are reunited the joy it will bring will be priceless.
- Healthy Eating
It can be extremely tempting to munch on the packet of digestives in the cupboard when you are at home all day. However if you consistently binge on processed food, it can have a negative effect on your mood. By eating healthy, you are not only looking after your body but also your mind. Cooking healthy meals and making healthy snacks helps us feel energised and full of energy, but why stop there? During this time at home, we can occupy our time by investing in a hobby which could also contribute towards looking after our well being. More and more people are starting to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Obviously, if you live in England like us, our climate doesn’t allow for us to grow as much of a variety as the supermarket can offer but we can grow more than you might expect. This can be a fantastic activity to do alone or with family (especially children) and has so many positives such as providing us with more outdoor time, is a low cost hobby, contributes towards a sustainable planet and can provide us with a sense of achievement. If you would like to give it a try, visit the Which ‘The top five veg and how to grow them’ article for some fantastic tips.
