How to Maintain Mental Clarity During COVID-19

How to Maintain Mental Clarity During COVID-19 : There’s no denying that we’re living in troubling times. With the COVID-19 pandemic presenting a threat that’s unprecedented for anyone under the age of 100, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by fear and anxiety.

While this is a completely normal reaction to something as actively dangerous as the novel coronavirus, it’s also important to maintain a sense of mental clarity throughout this crisis. A healthy mindset will enable you to approach the challenges presented by these trying times in a calm and rational manner and prevent you from being weighed down by despair. Anyone looking to attain mental clarity in a world that’s more uncertain than ever will be well-served by the following tips.

Take Up Yoga

There are many health benefits associated with yoga. For starters, it can increase flexibility and improve overall physical fitness. Yoga has also been linked to improved heart health and chronic pain reduction. Just as importantly, yoga can also do wonders for one’s mental health. Practicing yoga has been shown to decrease cortisol (i.e., the primary stress hormone) levels and dramatically reduce anxiety and depression. So, if you’ve been looking for an effective way to stay in shape from the comfort of home, order a good yoga pillow and start stretching.

Practice Deep Breathing Exercises

Whether you’re dealing with a panic attack or just want to come down from the day, deep breathing exercises can prove incredibly useful. These exercises can be comfortably performed at any time, and many people have benefited from doing them at the beginning and end of each day. Most deep breathing exercises entail lying down or sitting in a comfortable position, taking deep breaths through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

There are numerous types of breathing exercises, and determining which ones work best for you may require a little bit of trial and error. So, if the first type of exercise you attempt fails to produce the desired results, don’t give up on breathing exercises as a whole.

Get Enough Sleep

When you’re stuck at home, the temptation to upend your usual sleep schedule can be strong. After all, if you don’t have anywhere to be for the foreseeable future, why stick to a regular sleep routine? While there’s inherently nothing with going to bed or getting up a little later than usual, you should still make a point of getting at least eight hours of sleep each night. Among other benefits, getting enough sleep is conducive to low stress levels, clear thinking and heart health.

Regularly Communicate with Loved Ones

For many us, not being able to see close friends and family members has been a consistent source of anxiety throughout this crisis. However, even if occupying the same physical space is out of the question, it’s never been easier to communicate with loved ones from the comfort of home. Many of the web’s most popular video chat apps can be used free of charge, so anyone looking for a great alternative to traditional phone calls should take note. Touching base with your nearest and dearest on a consistent basis can help you feel less isolated and more connected to the people you love.

Engage in Enjoyable At-Home Hobbies

Indulging in hobbies can help keep your mind active and stave off feelings of depression and anxiety. Certain hobbies can even be conducive to making new friends. If you’re an avid gamer, now is the perfect time to make a dent in your video game backlog. If you only have a casual interest in gaming, consider using this time to branch out into new titles and genres. Similarly, cinephiles and readers who have allowed their media backlogs to pile up should start tackling them in earnest. Anyone who’s been looking to increase their culinary repertoire should consider trying their hand at some new recipes.

To call 2020 a stressful year would be an understatement. With the U.S. serving as the epicenter of a nigh-unprecedented global pandemic, many Americans are dealing with anxiety on a scale to which they’re unaccustomed. While people can hardly be blamed for being frightened and anxious under the current circumstances, it’s important for us to maintain a sense of mental clarity. Even in the darkest of times, a clear and relaxed mind can do you a world of good.