COVID-19 has affected billions of lives all over the world. And this killer virus is causing stress and anxiety due to lockdowns, closing of businesses, several health and social restrictions, employment lay-offs, and even loss of lives. We still don’t know till when will this end, even if there’s a vaccine already.
But we only live once, we have to live our lives to the fullest and we shouldn’t let this stressful pandemic stop us from being happy in life, even if we are just inside our homes. So how can we cope up from stress and anxiety? Here are 5 ways to do it.
1. DEVELOP A HOBBY
Since we stay mostly at home due to lockdowns, it is also a best time to learn and try something new. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to develop a hobby or skill. Divert your attention to something useful, creative and productive. Engage in activities that put your focus on your hands or body. It could be baking, painting, gardening, playing instruments and many more. Who knows, that newly found hobby of yours can turn into gold(turn to business) that will lead you to financial freedom as well..
2. EXERCISE
Exercise is one of the most useful activities that we can do so we can stay physically and mentally healthy. When we exercise, our body releases chemicals called “endorphines” which trigger a positive feeling in the body. Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do weightlifting or train like you are joining a marathon or olympics. A short walk, run in place, zumba, yoga, even doing household chores will do. To make it more fun, have your family members join you. Make it a daily routine. Together, you will be able to release that stress and anxiety away and in a fun way.
3. PRAY
Doubt, confusion, fear and anxiety, these are the most thoughts that the enemy(the devil) keeps on instilling in our minds. He’ll do anything to cloud our judgment, and clutter our thoughts to the point that we would think that we are not able, we are not enough, we are not worthy. One way to battle these thoughts is through God’s word and prayer. Prayer is one way of communicating with God. He is our best friend, we can tell everything to Him. And talking to God more and more, casting all our fears and anxiety to Him really helps us give that winning state of mind because because that is what God made us for, to win and succeed in life.
So whenever you feel stressed and anxious, Always speak out this verse from the bible. A reassuring promise from God that everything will be ok.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.-Jeremiah 29:11
4. BALANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
You only have one body. That means you cannot do all the things that you needed to do in an instant. Since work from home set-up became the new normal nowadays, office work, household chores, learning new hobbies, teaching your kids for home school and other important tasks could be a little bit overwhelming. But it is all about work-life balance. You can multi-task, but you have to manage it in such a way that it will not cause you stress. Do a daily plan. Use a calendar, write a to-do list, or use a planning app to help you prioritize things and to keep track of what you’ve accomplished so far.
Just in case you feel you are caught up, stop, breathe, relax for a bit, and then continue to do the task.
5. MAKE TIME FOR FUN AND RELAXATION
It is not bad to step away from your busy life from time to time. Yes it may be hard especially if you have a lot of things to accomplish, but your body needs to rest and recover from stress. Always remember that your health is more important. “Health is Wealth” right? That is why you should never ignore it and should take a break.
There are a lot of things that you can do to achieve relaxation and fun even at home. Make this a bonding time with your whole family. You can do home spa set-up and do some self-pampering like mani-pedi and back massages. If you are a movie buff, you can watch movies on Netflix and just be a couch potato. Classic board games could be fun too such as Scrabble, Monopoly, and Battleship, just to mention a few. A physical game like Twister is something that the whole family would also enjoy. If you are a bit on the techie side, gaming consoles like wii, Xbox, or Playstation would be a great source of entertainment. Playing mobile games such as Mobile Legends, PUBG, or Call of Duty is also a total-stress reliever. If you want a more lighter but really fun, free, and no-ads games online, you can go to plays.org, (Guess Who?, Zombie Typing Game and Monster Rush Tower Defense are my favorites!).
Whenever you feel stressed and anxious in life and if you are having a hard time to cope up with it, just remember these 5 steps. Remember, BREATHE, RELAX, and HAVE FUN!
