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Periยญods of isoยญlaยญtion and sudยญden changes in cirยญcumยญstances creยญate heightยญened levยญels of stress, and it is vital to find ways to manยญage stress and mainยญtain physยญiยญcal, menยญtal and emoยญtionยญal health.Proยญtectยญing your menยญtal health and genยญerยญal wellยญbeยญing can be achieved through folยญlowยญing a rouยญtine, takยญing regยญuยญlar exerยญcise, utiยญlizยญing supยญport serยญvices, mainยญtainยญing social conยญtacts, folยญlowยญing a balยญanced diet and being productive.
1- Follow a routine
Familยญiar rouยญtines can be enorยญmousยญly benยญeยญfiยญcial to every memยญber of the houseยญhold. Keep the famยญiยญly on the same sleep patterns.Try to eat at the same time every day and folยญlow the usuยญal patยญterns for playยญtime, chores, study and relaxยญation. Stickยญing to a rouยญtine will reduce the stress on you as a parยญent and will make chilยญdren feel more comยญfortยญable and less anxยญious because they are doing norยญmal things daily.You may need to estabยญlish some new rouยญtines if everyยญone is spendยญing more time at home. Do this as earยญly as posยญsiยญble and involve everyยญone in the process of estabยญlishยญing the rouยญtines. Creยญate a plan for houseยญhold chores and try to share the load.Give chilยญdren time to play and relax, and even invent new ways to keep them occuยญpied and happy.
2- Study
One of the biggest disยญrupยญtions peoยญple are facยญing right now is the change to study for school stuยญdents and uniยญverยญsiยญty students.School stuยญdents need to be supยญportยญed and motiยญvatยญed to conยญtinยญue studyยญing even if they are not attendยญing school. Conยญsult their schools and teachยญers for resources and supยญport, find a space and a time for them to study, and check in on their progress and any doubts they have.Also, underยญstand that they are not going to be able to comยญplete the same amount of work at the same stanยญdard while they have limยญitยญed conยญtact with teachยญers and classยญmates. Give stuยญdents some leeยญway at these times and try to be a supยญportยญer.Uniยญverยญsiยญty stuยญdents are more indeยญpenยญdent and self-motiยญvatยญed, but also need time and space to study, and someยญone to talk to if they are feelยญing overยญwhelmed by havยญing to study alone.
3- Exercise
Get your body movยญing and your heart pumpยญing every day. Physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty proยญmotes physยญiยญcal health, of course, but also improves menยญtal and emoยญtionยญal wellbeing.Exerยญcise outยญside if you are allowed and if you have space. Even a few minยญutes of fresh air and sunยญlight will greatยญly boost your mood, so make some time to walk, jog or move in the outdoors.Even if stuck inside, it is still posยญsiยญble to exerยญcise. Many fitยญness coachยญes, perยญsonยญal trainยญers, health authorยญiยญties, gyms and sports assoยญciยญaยญtions are postยญing online fitยญness videos, hostยญing virยญtuยญal classยญes and disยญtribยญutยญing resources to help peoยญple do physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty at home.Do some searchยญing and find the exerยญcise rouยญtine that is best for you, and even involve your partยญner and your chilยญdren in a strucยญtured rouยญtine or some sponยญtaยญneous, enjoyยญable play.
4- Use support services
Counยญselling and supยญport serยญvices are reachยญing out to peoยญple in this time of need, and are availยญable over the phone or online. Search for these offiยญcial serยญvices and take advanยญtage of the chance to talk to someยญone, ask advice, share and acknowlยญedge your feelยญings or ask for help.Supยญport serยญvices are staffed by trained proยญfesยญsionยญals who can guide you through this process, and they are availยญable at difยญferยญent times and in difยญferยญent languages.Also, many apps exist or have just been creยญatยญed, to help peoยญple cope with anxยญiยญety durยญing uncerยญtain times so that you can access supยญport directยญly from your phone.
5- Stay in touch
Orgaยญnize virยญtuยญal playยญdates or meeยญtups with othยญer parยญents. Use techยญnolยญoยญgy to keep your chilยญdren in conยญtact with their friends and allow them to see each othยญer, even if itโs not facยญing to face. Simยญply seeยญing a familยญiar face and comยญmuยญniยญcatยญing with them can greatยญly boost a childโs mood. The interยญacยญtion can be planned and full of activยญiยญties for the chilยญdren, or just spontaneous.Donโt forยญget to take some time for yourยญself to stay in conยญtact with friends and famยญiยญly, using the same techยญnolยญoยญgy. Share a stoยญry, share your feelยญings, or even chat about the TV series youโre watching.
6- Turn back the clock
Rememยญber pen pals? Peoยญple conยญnectยญed this way before the interยญnet, and the postal serยญvice is still operยญatยญing, so it is posยญsiยญble to write letยญters to peoยญple from far-flung counยญtries (or in the same city) and to learn about their lives and personalities.Findยญing a pen pal for your chilยญdren has the bonus of workยญing on their litยญerยญaยญcy skills and handwriting.
7- Eat well
A healthy diet will strengthยญen your immune sysยญtem and proยญtect you from illยญness. It will also help proยญtect the health of peoยญple around you. Avoid the tempยญtaยญtion to overeat comยญfort food, folยญlow a healthy diet, and allow yourยญself a treat from time to time.
8- Practice patience
Everyยญbody feels more stress and can expeยญriยญence more frusยญtraยญtion at times of great uncerยญtainยญty, espeยญcialยญly when being forced to stay inside for long periยญods. So, if a child is cryยญing more than usuยญal, a teenagยญer is mopยญing, or irriยญtaยญble more than usuยญal, or sibยญlings are fightยญing more than they would norยญmalยญly, rememยญber the cause of this behaviour.Donโt dwell on sitยญuยญaยญtions that could have turned out difยญferยญentยญly and donโt be too hard on yourยญself or othยญers for litยญtle things that get on your nerves. Rememยญber that days are going to be hard for everyยญone and try to be patient and forgiving.Rememยญber to be conยญsisยญtent when disยญciยญplinยญing chilยญdren. Set and enforce limยญits that are approยญpriยญate to the childโs age and develยญopยญment. Also, open comยญmuยญniยญcaยญtion with your chilยญdren to ask how they are feelยญing and to tell them how you are feelยญing as a result of their behaviour.
9- Be productive
Getยญting tasks done and achievยญing goals greatยญly boosts self-esteem, so find ways to be proยญducยญtive while at home. Apart from workยญing from home, to pay the bills, there are othยญer ways to stay productive.Take a course online, learn a new skill online, check in on famยญiยญly and friends to see how they are copยญing with change, or make use of the time to comยญplete houseยญhold tasks that you had been planยญning to get done for some time.Also, make time to do someยญthing enjoyยญable. Dust off the enorยญmous puzยญzle and chalยญlenge yourยญself and your famยญiยญly to comยญplete it. Invite your chilยญdren to carยญry out some (safe) sciยญence experยญiยญments or to comยญplete an art and craft project. Tap into a childโs imagยญiยญnaยญtion and make up stoยญries which they can write and illusยญtrate, before readยญing them to each othยญer, to friends, to grandยญparยญents or others.It can be useยญful to plan activยญiยญties that can be done in an hour, a day, or an extendยญed periยญod, and to conยญgratยญuยญlate yourยญself and each othยญer when they are comยญplete. Keepยญing your mind busy durยญing isoยญlaยญtion is extremeยญly beneficial.
10- Switch off
Avoid spendยญing too much time watchยญing the news and folยญlowยญing social media. Most of the news is inevitably going to be negยญaยญtive, and this can directยญly affect your mood and your menยญtal health.Try to put a limยญit on how much time you will spend on social media and on watchยญing, readยญing or lisยญtenยญing to the news, and try to do the same for your children.When chilยญdren are exposed to conยญstant news about crises, this can cause worยญry, fear and stress, which can, in turn, lead to irriยญtabilยญiยญty or actยญing out, unhealthy eatยญing and sleep habits, excesยญsive sadยญness, inabilยญiยญty to conยญcenยญtrate and genยญerยญalยญly poor wellbeing.
11- Trusted sources
Experts also emphaยญsize the imporยญtance of using trustยญed inforยญmaยญtion sources durยญing these times. Search for offiยญcial orgaยญniยญzaยญtions and health experts to find the most accuยญrate inforยญmaยญtion, and try to ignore inforยญmaยญtion from unreยญliยญable ranยญdom sources which always surยญfaces durยญing these times.Furยญtherยญmore, learn about COVID-19 from these trustยญed sources and how to best proยญtect yourยญself and your famยญiยญly from the disease.Finalยญly, take some time out for yourยญself. Find an activยญiยญty that helps you to escape from your surยญroundยญings or to escape into yourยญself, and try to make this time every day. Do some yoga, read a book, lisยญten to music or play music, do some garยญdenยญing or cook a dish youโve always wantยญed to try. Make time to treat yourยญself and do someยญthing that helps you to relax.So, find some time to creยญate a plan for folยญlowยญing these simยญple steps. Estabยญlish a rouยญtine and do everyยญthing you can to stick to that rouยญtine. Eat a balยญanced diet with occaยญsionยญal guilty treats, and use techยญnolยญoยญgy to help you and your chilยญdren stay in touch with friends. Make an effort to do some exerยญcise and take some fresh air where posยญsiยญble, and make use of existยญing supยญport serยญvices if you are feelยญing under pressure.Most imporยญtantยญly, donโt forยญget to take some time to be by yourยญself and do someยญthing that makes you hapยญpy. This way, you can mainยญtain your physยญiยญcal, menยญtal and emoยญtionยญal health durยญing times of unpreceยญdentยญed change.
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Familยญiar rouยญtines can be enorยญmousยญly benยญeยญfiยญcial to every memยญber of the houseยญhold. Keep the famยญiยญly on the same sleep patterns.
Try to eat at the same time every day and folยญlow the usuยญal patยญterns for playยญtime, chores, study and relaxยญation. Stickยญing to a rouยญtine will reduce the stress on you as a parยญent and will make chilยญdren feel more comยญfortยญable and less anxยญious because they are doing norยญmal things daily.
You may need to estabยญlish some new rouยญtines if everyยญone is spendยญing more time at home. Do this as earยญly as posยญsiยญble and involve everyยญone in the process of estabยญlishยญing the rouยญtines. Creยญate a plan for houseยญhold chores and try to share the load.
Give chilยญdren time to play and relax, and even invent new ways to keep them occuยญpied and happy.
Get your body movยญing and your heart pumpยญing every day. Physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty proยญmotes physยญiยญcal health, of course, but also improves menยญtal and emoยญtionยญal wellbeing.
Exerยญcise outยญside if you are allowed and if you have space. Even a few minยญutes of fresh air and sunยญlight will greatยญly boost your mood, so make some time to walk, jog or move in the outdoors.
Even if stuck inside, it is still posยญsiยญble to exerยญcise. Many fitยญness coachยญes, perยญsonยญal trainยญers, health authorยญiยญties, gyms and sports assoยญciยญaยญtions are postยญing online fitยญness videos, hostยญing virยญtuยญal classยญes and disยญtribยญutยญing resources to help peoยญple do physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty at home.
Do some searchยญing and find the exerยญcise rouยญtine that is best for you, and even involve your partยญner and your chilยญdren in a strucยญtured rouยญtine or some sponยญtaยญneous, enjoyยญable play.
Orgaยญnize virยญtuยญal playยญdates or meeยญtups with othยญer parยญents. Use techยญnolยญoยญgy to keep your chilยญdren in conยญtact with their friends and allow them to see each othยญer, even if itโs not facยญing to face. Simยญply seeยญing a familยญiar face and comยญmuยญniยญcatยญing with them can greatยญly boost a childโs mood. The interยญacยญtion can be planned and full of activยญiยญties for the chilยญdren, or just spontaneous.
Donโt forยญget to take some time for yourยญself to stay in conยญtact with friends and famยญiยญly, using the same techยญnolยญoยญgy. Share a stoยญry, share your feelยญings, or even chat about the TV series youโre watching.
