COVID-19 pandemic could last for a long time. Depending on how quickly the disease could be curtailed and banished from Nigeria and the world. The severity of the, public health officials may recommend communal actions designed to help keep people healthy, reduce exposure to COVID-19, and therefore, slow down the spread of the disease.
Local public health officials may make recommendations that are appropriate to each local council. Creation of a household plan could help protect people’s health and even the health of medical personnel who give patients care to stop rave of COVID-19 in the community. You should base the details of your household’s plan on the needs and daily routine of members.
The good news is that there’s plenty of entertaining or productive stuff you can do to distract yourself from the surreal situation we’re all finding ourselves in.
YOU SHOULD LEARN TO STAY ACTIVE
It’s pretty well known that exercise is really good for people’s physical and mental health. There are heaps of different types of exercise you can do at home, thanks to YouTube and apps. We’ve listed a few free ones (share your tips for others on the ReachOut Forums), or continue doing whatever works for you.
Nike Training Club can help you stay active during this time by offering heaps of free workouts you can do from home. It also features wellness and nutrition guidance from experts.
The Seven – 7 Minute Workout app (iOS and Android) can also help. These seven-minute workouts are based on scientific studies and are designed to provide the maximum benefit in the shortest amount of time. You can also link up with friends in the app to encourage one another (or, let’s be honest, compete!) – it’s a great way to stay connected. If you play sport and your games and training have been cancelled, you could consider linking up with your team on this app.
These are just three ideas, do whatever works for you.
TAKE 10 TO BE ZEN
When we’re stressed about something (such as coronavirus), our thoughts tend to speed up. Taking 10 minutes or so to practise mindfulness can help produce a sense of calmness. If you don’t get what mindfulness is all about, check out the WTF is mindfulness meditation.
Here are some suggestions for free mindfulness apps to try:
Insight Timer has over 25,000 free guided meditations, from 1 to 90+ minutes. Try searching by a topic that interests you (e.g. stress, learning to meditate, sleep).
Smiling Mind might be a good option if you don’t want to be overwhelmed by choice. The meditations are organised by structured programme, such as Mindful Foundations, Sleep, Relationships, etc.
If meditation isn’t for you, try doing an everyday activity in a mindful way – in other words, put aside distractions and focus fully on one small task. For example, while you’re having a cup of tea, pay attention to your senses (the smell of the tea, the warmth of the cup in your hand, the taste…).
- CHAT WITH YOUR MATES AND FAMILY MEMBERS
Even if an in-person meet-up is off the table, try to stay in touch with your mates via text, Messenger, WhatsApp, FaceTime, or (gasp!) a good ol’ fashioned phone call. Ask them how they’re feeling and share your own experience if you feel safe to do so.
Check out our article on 5 steps to talking to someone you trust. You could even start a group chat where each person shares one good thing that happened in their day.
MAKE A GOOD HOMEMADE MEAL THAT WILL KEEP YOU TOGETHER
Good nutrition is always important, but during stressful times, there’s nothing better than a tasty, healthy homemade meal – especially if you made it yourself. You could ask a friend or family members for their fave recipe, or check out taste’s easy recipes section.
For many people, it may be challenging to get some ingredients at the moment. If you’re running low or not able to get certain things, it’s totally fine to keep it really simple. You could also get creative with substitutions or Google ‘[ingredient] substitute’ for ideas.
TAKE A BREAK FROM THE NEWS
Between the news and social media, we’re all feeling saturated by coronavirus updates right now. It’s important to stay informed, but try to limit your media intake to a couple of times a day and use trusted news sources. If you catch yourself turning to social media because you’re feeling isolated, take a break and spend time on another activity, such as those we’ve suggested above.
MAKE A MUSIC PLAYLIST
Music can make us feel so much better. Hop on Spotify and make a playlist with your fave songs. You could make a group playlist and ask your friends to add five of their favourite songs as well. If you want to get fancy, you could make several playlists for different moods/vibes (e.g. rainy day, feeling happy, etc.).
WATCH OR READ SOMETHING UPLIFTING
Distraction can be a good thing. Watch something that you find uplifting and allow yourself to zone out from what’s going on in the world. Some suggestions include The Good Place and Brooklyn 99 on Netflix, or The Bold Type and Family Guy on Stan.
YouTube is a great option too, plus we’ve put together this collection of different relaxing videos that are sure to help you chill out. If reading is more your thing, go to your bookshelf and choose an old favourite or something you’ve been meaning to get to for a while, or if you don’t have physical books then e-books are a great option.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Have you wanted to get into drawing or learning a musical instrument? Now’s a great time to make a start. If you want to learn a new language. Learn an awesome free language learning program you can access from your computer or phone. YouTube has great free online tutorials for pretty much everything.
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz