7 Things to Do to Keep You Sane During the Pandemic

It’s been more than a year when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 11, 2020. Although 23.9% of the population in the US was already fully vaccinated against COVID as of today, the number of new cases each day still averages 70,522 in the past week. It seems that it is still a long way to go before this crazy condition ends.

What’s concerning about this stressful time is that COVID-19 not only affects our way of living, finances and physical health. Reports had shown that the emotional and mental toil of this pandemic is just as alarming, as it not only affects the adults but even the teens and young children as well. It’s been reported that the statistics on the increase in suicidal thoughts, psychological problems and even suicides among students were few of the reasons that pushed the Clark County District to reopen schools last month here in Las Vegas.

It is important now, more than ever, that we should be intentional in taking care of our mental health. Here are some ways for us to keep sane during the pandemic:

1. Manage Stress

Enough hours of sleep, healthy and nutritious diet, exercise, meditation and relaxation time are just few of the ways to manage stress. It is also important to focus on things that we can control like our attitude, thoughts and actions, instead of worrying about stuff that are beyond our control.

2. Express Emotions

Write down or make a recording of how you feel. You don’t even have to share what you wrote or recorded with others if you don’t want to. Remember, there are no wrong or right feelings. What’s important is that you put your feelings into words and let them out because suppressed emotions tend to manifest in other, usually negative, ways.

3. Banish Boredom

The stay at home orders during the pandemic could spell lots of unexciting times if you think that spending the days with the same people in the same house for an extended period is boring. Banish boredom by starting a new hobby that you can safely do at home, watching movies or TV shows with your family, or playing online games. There is actually a site called Plays.org that offers ad-free games that are free and do not need to be downloaded. They have 39 categories of games from arcades to word games but one of my favorites is the simulation and strategy game called Fight Virus COVID-19 Hospital Simulation Game.

4. Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

Focusing at and being thankful for the positive things that are happening around you will make you less sad, angry and deprived. Appreciate people, situations, little and big things, and even yourself. It does not only improves your mood, studies show that being grateful and expressing your gratitude leads to better physical health.

5. Learn Something New

When you focus your attention to learning new stuff such as creative activities like painting, drawing, or dancing, cooking or baking a new recipe, or reading and learning about some topics you are interested in, you have less time to think about the negative things happening around you. In addition, studies have shown that when we learn something new, our brain grows more, allowing us to be capable of learning more.

6. Connect With Others

One of the precautions that the experts recommend to stop the spread of Covid-19 is social distancing. While nothing beats face to face interaction, we can still connect with others through video chats, calls or other forms of communication. Also, staying at home affords parents who used to be busy with workloads the time and opportunity to connect with their spouses and kids at home.

7. Ask for Help

If you find yourself really struggling, do not hesitate to ask for help. As Leslie “Les” Brown has said, “Ask for help not because you’re weak, but because you want to remain strong.” There’s nothing to be ashamed of; knowing when outside help is necessary and asking for it shows maturity, strength and wisdom.

These are just seven of the things that we can do to keep ourselves sane during these uncertain times. Remember to be positive and look forward to be a better future. Surely, this pandemic will not last forever.