10 Helpful Tips To Take Care Of Your Mental Health During This Pandemic
2020 was definitely one of the hardest years for many to endure. With a worldwide pandemic being set into stone, many people had to adjust to living their lives safely.
With schools being shut down and many students having to adjust to virtual learning, it has taken a mental toll on everyone's health. According to a study by Shen et al 2020, "This pandemic may continue to increase long term adverse consequences on children and adolescents."
Many children had to struggle with the hardships of the pandemic due to not being able to play with friends or being outside. Socializing and having the time to be outside is very important for someone's overall development especially children who want to explore and try new things.
The first helpful tip that would be recommended is for kids to have time set aside to be around friends and to be outside. Some good examples are walks, playing in the backyard, and zoom with friends. Many children love to play Roblox and zooming with friends during gameplay would a safe and fun way to still be interactive with others.
Photo Credit to Roblox.com
Children are not the only ones being affected by the pandemic.
Many young adults who attended college or are about to enroll in one had to experience the unfortunate changes to their college experience. Many young adults had to move back home and off-campus to ensure safety, following the COVID-19 guidelines.
According to a mental health survey covered by abc7 news, Harvard School of Public, and a professor who specializes in mental health, Dr. Shaker Saxena has said that "The mental health impact of the pandemic is much larger on younger adults, almost two-thirds of the young adults have some symptoms of anxiety or depression or other psychological problems."
The pandemic really impacted young adults' ability to have the full-on college experience. Many young adults enjoy living in the dorms, going to classes, and hanging out with friends. It has been especially hard for young adults because many college students do not have space in their homes they need to focus on their careers.
It is also said having to switch to all virtual learning has made their career and academic success more difficult to maintain. Therefore, the pandemic has put a lot of emotional distress on college students.
A second tip that could potentially help college students is connection. It is important for college students to vocal about their struggles and to be communicative to their professors about their overall health. Not only would this allow professors to make helpful adjustments to their schedule but being vocal about one's mental health is important.
To stay connected, to be around whether it's virtually is very important for one's social developmental skills. Connection and being vocal is the key to success.
Adults as well struggling to deal with the hardships of the pandemic. Many families are struggling financially. According to an article on the long-term financial impact of the pandemic on pewresearch.org, "lower-income and black adults are particularly likely to say they have taken on debt or putt paying their bills to cover lost wages or salary."
Many minorities with lower income are struggling to make ends meet. With the lack of financial support to meet their basic needs for finances and losing wages, there is a major worry and concern about how they will be to provide themselves and their families.
This act includes assistance with food, housing, and bills.
Photo Credit to ABC11.
It is also important to take care of one's mental health during such hard times. Due to the uncertainty of financial aid and support, it seems as if minorities with lower income are more likely to struggle than the majority middle to the upper class. A fourth helpful tip to cope with unsettling and stressful situations is to look into free community counseling in one's area.
Not only was this help many to cope during all of the chaos but it promotes inclusivity.
From children to adults, they are a lot of struggles that are occurring during this pandemic.
A fifth helpful tip to go cope with all of the distress is to exercise. Exercise increases the production of serotonin thus positively impacting one's overall mood. With spring settling in and days becoming warmer, those need to go outside and take advantage of all the benefits.
A sixth helpful is to find a hobby. With the pandemic keeping everyone inside, many people found peace and restoration by developing a hobby to cope. A lot of celebrities such as Zedd and Calvin Harris who are both DJs have held several virtual concerts on Instagram Live.
Not only are they safely following the pandemic guidelines but they are fulfilling their passion and overall talent which is to create music. Many fans can even join the lives for free and dance around in their bedroom, interacting with other fans in the comments as well.
Writers can also turn to write stories online and publish their pieces through popular story publication sites such as Wattpad.com, Amazon, and many more.
A seventh helpful tip is social media. Social media has been a lifesaver during this pandemic. With not being able to go outside, many users can still connect to their families and friends during this pandemic. On Facebook, users can update their statuses, share the stories of their quarantine lifestyle and stay connected with the people around them,
On Snapchat, many users can send limitless snaps to each other whether it's video, text messages, or photos. That way they are endless ways to always check in and stay connected to those around you.
With Instagram, it is a very similar experience to both Snapchat and Facebook. With Instagram, a user can also share stories of their daily life and can also like photos of their friends.
This can promote social interaction and check on loved ones. With all of the negative effects that this pandemic has had on many, it is important to promote a way for those to be there for each to promote one's wellbeing.
An eighth tip is also to take advantage of the apps that have fun TV shows and movies available for the user to watch. Due to the pandemic, movie theaters are closed which has been devastating for many people. Watching TV shows and movies is a fun way to enjoy yourself.
Many popular streaming apps have been increasing overall during this pandemic as many are turning to the excitement of rewatching their favorite shows as a way to cope with the stressors of the pandemic.
According to usatoday.com, "Worldwide viewing time grew 44% in the last three months of 2020."
Drive-Ins have also seen an increase as many people are trying to find the best ways to stay connected in the safest way possible.
With so much uncertainty and stressors happening in our world as we move forward with this pandemic, we as a community need to take care of ourselves and stay connected with others.