As a business owner, there are so many things that require your attention right now. In this situation, it may become hard for you to disconnect from work, or even fall asleep, since your mind is overwhelmed with everything that is happening around us, and everything that still needs to be done. Experiencing this level of stress is not good for your mental health.
Like many of us on the CreditEnable team, you are probably making constantly To-Do lists that just keep getting longer and longer, while you feel like you can’t get any task done fully. We understand. We’re all experiencing the same feelings right now.
In our first instalment on mental health awareness, we discussed how you should connect and disconnect during the pandemic to reduce your stress. Now let’s talk about taking a break from current events and distract ourselves for a bit to improve our mood.
Distract Yourself: Do Some Exercises
Let’s face it. Most of us spend at least 12 hours a day hunched over our laptops. This is bad for our posture and even worse for our health. So, get your heart beating faster by doing some exercise in between work. It is also proven that the endorphins released while you work out relieve stress and pain, making you feel a lot better! Exercising regularly is a great way to reset your frame of mind and maintain good mental health.
We understand if you’re not a “gym person” or don’t want to go out running during the lockdown. Here are some easy things you can do within the comfort of your home to get started:
- Do some yoga. There is also a form of yoga, chair yoga, that you can do with the support of a chair! Multitasking! We support this!
- Breathing exercises are great right now, not only to manage stress and pain but also to boost your respiratory health! You know how important healthy lungs have become, especially during this second wave of COVID-19! So, start doing some simple breathing exercises today!
- For some cardio, climb a flight of stairs 3-4 times. If you’re like many of us and don’t have stairs in your house, find a sturdy stool and step on and off of that for 15 minutes every day.
- Take a walk outside for at least 30 minutes.
Distract Yourself: Watch Your Favourite TV Show/Movie or Read a Book
The idea here is to relax you. Watching a comedic movie or TV show (we suggest Friends), is a great way to distract your mind from current events.
If you’re into the sci-fi genre, even better! Let the storyline help you travel to a whole other universe and wander around there! Books are another great way to do this. A well-written book can transport you to a whole other world right from the comfort of your home! The Harry Potter series is a great one to start with.
Distract Yourself: Listen to Music or a Podcast
Music is a great way to change your mood and pace of life. Listening to Classical music (Indian or Western) helps you concentrate better, while a pop song is great to get you dancing and uplifting your mood! Apps like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube also have pre-made playlists based on different genres and moods that are a great way to explore new music.
Podcasts have also gained a substantial audience in India recently. They are a great way to learn new things and explore new topics. Spotify and the Apple Podcast app offer a wide selection of podcasts that you can listen to!
Distract Yourself: Play a Game
Video games, board games, or online games are a great way to interact with people without discussing current events! During the first lockdown in March last year, so many families started playing Ludo every day. This helped them spend time with one another and become closer as a family. Mobile apps like Words with Friends and Scrabble also allow you to play with people far away from you.
Sharing positive interactions with your loved ones is a great way to remain connected during lockdown. These practices also help form a kind of routine for your day. Routines are great for your mental health as they provide structure to your day and instantly relieve some of the stress you’re feeling.
Distract Yourself: Do Some Colouring
We encourage kids to use colouring books to teach them hand-eye coordination – to control the colour and stay within the lines. On the other hand, for adults, colouring books are a great way to relieve stress. Intricate designs that require patience help distract our mind and concentrate on the mundane task at hand. Doing so is also therapeutic!
Here are some great free designs you can save and print out.
These are all simple things that you can do to improve your mental health. The stress of the pandemic is not going to go away any time soon, but relying on those around you and making simple changes in your daily routine will help lessen the impact the stress has on your life.
CreditEnable is always here to help your business stay healthy and get the financing it needs to grow. We want you to take some time for yourself so that you are feeling physically and mentally fit to run your business!
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