Daily Habits That Help Us Cope with COVID-19 Stress
Cooped up in your house for days on end amid the community quarantine can leave you feeling bored—stir-crazy and anxious even.
To distract ourselves, we often take to our phones for a “brief” scroll through our newsfeeds, but we all know what that means. We find ourselves infinitely scrolling for news and updates, and it can get toxic real quick. Knowing every little update feels draining.
Online streaming is another overused form of distraction. We’ve been clocking in an average of 7 hours a day on Netflix since the lockdown started. 2 hours in the morning, an hour during lunch, and another 4 hours at night. While this may be a good form of escapism, it isn’t particularly a good form of self-care. We quickly noticed how our Netflix dependency was taking a toll on us—feeling lethargic and trouble sleeping at night were just a few of its immediate effects.
So instead, we replaced these distractions with more productive habits. Below we share some of the things that work particularly well for us to get into a better headspace.
Listen to music
Several studies have shown that music can improve moods, including reducing stress in difficult situations (like the one we’re in now). Specifically, tracks with a slow tempo, and drawn-out notes tend to be calming. In case you missed it, we recently created a playlist that fits the bill.
Meditate
Trust us, meditation works wonders. Practicing mindfulness reduces stress, improves moods, and boosts your physical, emotional, and psychological well-being overall.
We know what you’re thinking—aside from sounding extremely boring, it takes a ton of effort to buckle down and meditate. We struggled with that at first too, but apps like Calm, Headspace, Smiling Mind, and Insight Timer were helpful for first-timers like ourselves.
Try facial massages
Jade rollers and gua sha stones burst into the scene a couple of years ago but this is no fad. These facial tools are staples in our beauty arsenals because, aside from improving blood circulation and soothing our skin, it actually helps us ease our stress. We always feel refreshed after using our favourite gua sha stones to gently “scrape” the skin. If you’re still doubtful about its effects, this study found that facial massages can reduce anxiety and distress.
Take a bath
Baths keep us clean, and apparently they also help keep us sane. If you have the luxury of taking a bath instead of just a shower, soak in warm water for a couple of minutes to wash your worries away. According to
this article “taking regular afternoon baths was associated with a moderate but persistent lift in mood among people with depression”.
In case you’re on the lookout for the perfect body wash to go with that bath, you can check out some of our favourites
here.
COVID-19 is a global pandemic. Check out WHO for the latest information on symptoms, prevention, and the latest updates.
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