I would love to share with you 3 positive ways to reduce stress, anxiety or depression whilst in lockdown.
Looking after your mental health has never been more imperative than during the current Covid pandemic.
Issues such as stress, anxiety or depression can very often take over your life, impacting on your career, family and social life. With so much uncertainty nagging at us daily, it is vital to find ways of coping with our mental health.
How Do We Define, Stress, Anxiety & Depression?
*Stress:
a feeling of worry and unhappiness because you have too much work or too many problems to deal with.
to feel worried or nervous.
*Anxiety:
an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future:
*Depression:
a mental illness in which a person is very unhappy and anxious (worried and nervous) for long periods and cannot live a normal life during these periods.
*definitions taken from the Cambridge English Dictionary
What to look for
These are some of the symptoms which could be indicators you or someone you know may be suffering from a mental health illness:
Psychological signs
- Less intuitive & creative
- Negative thinking
- Inability to concentrate
- Memory lapses
- Worrying
Emotional signs
- Tearful often for no apparent reason
- Lack of confidence
- Low or lack of self-esteem
- Poor motivation
- Mood swings
Physical signs
- Aches/pains & muscle tension/grinding teeth
- Allergies/rashes/skin irritations
- Constipation/diarrhoea/ IBS
- Panic attacks/nausea
- Physical tiredness
- Lightheaded or dizzy
Behavioural signs
- Increased reliance on alcohol, smoking, caffeine, recreational or illegal drugs
- Becoming a workaholic
- Poor time management and/or poor standards of work
- Aggressive/anger outbursts
- Avoiding situations
- Worrying about what others think
- Feeling detached
You or they may experience problems with:
- Looking after yourself
- Holding down your job
- Forming or maintaining relationships
- Trying new things
- Enjoying leisure time or life in general
Do some of these resonate with you?
With the UK still in lockdown and the never-ending uncertainty we are facing globally, we all need to improve our mental health.
You might like to try these 3 Positive Ways To Reduce Stress, Anxiety Or Depression Whilst In Lockdown.
Smile
No matter how you are feeling, research shows that just by smiling, you will start to feel more positive and less stressed.
Try this:
- Before you brush your teeth in the morning and evening, look at yourself in the mirror and smile to yourself.
- Do this every day for a week and notice the difference.
And This:
If you can go out for a walk and are using a clear visor, smile at everyone you see. If they don’t smile back, don’t let it upset you. Your smile will still have made a difference both to them and to you.
2 Breathe
We all do it… somewhat automatically without thinking, but our breathing can often be laboured or exaggerated depending on how we feel. Why not take 10-minutes now and try this:
- Sit quietly and try to relax
- Slowly breathe in through your nose to a count of 4
- Hold the breath for a count of 4
- Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 5
- Repeat until you feel calmer
3 Music
Music can affect people in different ways, depending on the mood of the music and the person.
I remember being at a meditation class once, the music we were meditating to was a Native American sound. The sound did not resonate with me at all and, I found I was feeling stressed and uncomfortable and needless to say, my meditation session was disappointing.
Try this:
- Sit alone and find music to listen to that you would consider to be uplifting, even something that will get your feet tapping or get you dancing around the room, yes, dancing around the room (naked if you like! But only at home…) Lose yourself in the rhythm of the sound. Shake that negativity out of your body!
- Have fun!
Or this:
- Sit alone in a quiet room and find a meditation to listen too. (This is mine from my new novel.)
- Relax by taking a couple of deep breaths to begin.
- Lose yourself in the meditation.
- Enjoy
These are simple but effective ways of reducing stress, anxiety or depression whilst in lockdown. The key is to keep doing them as often as you can, throughout lockdown and also afterwards. If you would like more positive ways to reduce stress, anxiety or depression, please read this blog.
If you would like further support and to work with me, please book a discovery call here or email me on lisa@test.lisambillingham.com
If you require urgent help, you can contact Samaritans on 116123