“You will have bad days but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren’t paying attention to.” – Robin Williams.
We are very much aware that one of the most important weapons we have for fighting COVID19 is yes “SOCIAL DISTANCING” – it is an unnatural practice for humans, but an essential one. And now the most common emotion faced by all of us is FEAR which makes us anxious, panicky, and occasionally depressed. Obviously, we all get nervous, unfocused and stressed, and for the most part, we are aware of the common solutions to our mental anxiety but miss focusing on it due to FEAR.
This lockdown and pandemic have exacerbated symptoms like anxiety in many of us and also has prompted to seek some professional help sometimes. The issues have ranged from fears about the virus, worries about job security and for many who are ‘Fitness Freaks’, the fear of losing their fitness.
Some Cardiologist say as both anxiety and depression have adverse effects physically and can actually bring down your immunity to viral infections & we just need to get rid of it.
Accepting Acceptance
The most important thing is to understand that the suffering due to the virus is universal and not just for an individual. And we also have to accept that the situation cannot be changed and we have to deal with it in the best possible way.
In the ancient Chinese military treatise The Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
In order to master your mental anxiety, it is important to recognize what it is and why it is to be allowed. Instead of ignoring the fear of losing fitness, planning to deal with it using simple measures will be way more effective both for your heart and your brain.
Being locked at home for a brief period can be fun but over an extended period of time it gets boring & restricting. The trick of staying happy and content during these troubled times is to constantly remind ourselves that, “Considering everything, I think I’m actually OK.”
Adopt to a Routine
It’s always best to adopt a routine that extends for the whole day by making our own schedules or even following Online Training programs, Personal Coaches or Training Team. But the routine should be clearly focused on non-boring hours and must include a detailed checklist of essential items that are required (in terms of Fun, Fitness or Food intake) in order to follow it correctly.
The routine should be planned so that it:
- Keeps you busy within your regular schedule
- Includes your work-at-home schedule
- Allows you time with your family & friends (through Phone and other means)
- Gives you time for yourself to listen to Music, Read Books and watching TV
- Creates time to discover your hobbies
- Keeps you physically active
- Includes a nutritious dietary plan
To keep in check our mental anxiety, watch out for:
- Changes in sleep pattern & difficulty in sleeping or concentrating
- Worsening of any existing health problems
- Eating disorders (either overeating or not feeling hungry at all)
- Increased usage of alcohol, tobacco, etc.
- Surge in emotions like feeling excessively angry, mood swings, loneliness, etc.
What Can HELP
Remind yourself that this isolation is temporary. There are teams of professionals across the world trying to fight this out. Engage in healthy activities that you enjoy and which relax you.
Follow the Five Mantras below to stay fit and to avoid the fear of losing fitness:
Mantra 1: Self-Care – Take care of your eating habits and catch up on your sleep (for 7-9 hours) which you haven’t been able to do during your regular schedule.
In fact, if you are following any specific DIET, it’s advised by plenty of Doctors to stall it for a few days since different diets affect the body and mind differently and during the lockdown our focus should be on staying healthy and eating balanced food. You can still count your Calories through the various apps build for that purpose, but remember, they are aggregators and only as accurate. Still, it is a good idea to understand and keep a tab on your BMR ( Basal Metabolic Rate) & approximate TDEE ( Total Daily Energy Expenditure). In fact, it’s advisable to stay on a caloric deficit of 600 – 700 calories every day. A caloric deficit is any shortage in calories consumed relative to the calories required for maintenance of current body weight (energy homeostasis). And Yes, STAY HYDRATED. Also, its most important to maintain a good sleep-wake schedule, otherwise, it leads to body fatigue.
Mantra 2: Exercise if you can – Exercise is really good for mental as well as physical well-being. Its essential to sweat yourself for a minimum period of 30 minutes and up to 90 minutes. Plan a variety of workouts.
It does get boring to do bodyweight exercises only or to repeat the same routine of workouts. To avoid boredom and to keep things simple, plan 5 Workouts per week, 1 Day for Stretches and 1 Day for RESTING your Muscles. Following is an example. These can be SETs of exercises, either time based or repeat based:
- Day 1 – Lower Legs Workout
- Day 2 – Core Workout
- Day 3 – Upper Body Workout
- Day 4 – HIIT Workout
- Day 5 – Balance Workout
- Day 6 – Stretches
- Day 7 – Rest
You can use music or Internet TV to help boost your mood. You can also include your family members & kids for some online WALKING Workouts (ex: Fast Walking 30 Minutes, which is just simple Walking Workouts for 30 minutes with different variations).
Mantra 3: Form a Social Media Fitness Group – Use your WhatsApp, Instagram or any other Social Network with your Friends, Family, Colleagues and Neighbors to connect and participate in Workout/Health Challenges like:
-
- SQUAT Challenges
- PLANK Challenges
- HEALTH Challenges like No Sugar for a Week, No Junk for a Week, etc.
- WATER INTAKE Challenge
And keep sharing your stats to stay motivated and to motivate others as well.
Mantra 4: Yoga or Meditate or follow Breathing Exercises – Yoga & Meditation are known to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The practice of Yoga asanas and meditation provides natural support to the immune system and lowers stress hormones in your body. Yoga also conditions the lungs and respiratory tract, stimulates the lymphatic system, removing toxins from the body, and ensures the optimal functioning of your organs.
However, if meditation isn’t for you, just breathing slowly can also help in calming the mind.
Mantra 5: Stay Positive and Be Calm – Develop a positive perspective of the situation. Our usual complaint is that we don’t have time. Now that we are getting enough time for ourselves, it is best to invest it in things that we love to do.
Spend time in revisiting your long-term goals in life, restart hobbies that you had given up due to various restraints. Declutter, clean and organize your space. Studies say the predictability of cleaning not only offers a sense of control in the face of uncertainty, but also offers your mind, body and soul a respite from traumatic stress.
Keep in mind that people who go through very difficult life experiences can emerge from them with a stronger sense of psychological resilience, rekindled relationships and a renewed appreciation of life. It’s very simple. Reframe the sentence from “I am stuck inside” to “I can finally focus on my home and myself” and just keep focusing on it.