My Brain's Not Broken

As I mentioned last week, staying home for the foreseeable is bound to take a toll on your mental health. And while there are resources out there that provide helpful information on how you can manage your anxiety or channel it during this quarantine period, sometimes it’s just easier to see a list full of things you can do that have been proven to alleviate stress and anxiety. So that’s exactly what I made.

As I’ve mentioned before, finding what works for you will be key during this period. You might not find your favorite activity or exercise among this list, but another positive is that you can waste a lot of time trying! If you have any questions or further info on any of these things, feel free to hit me up – I have plenty of links and resources that this list came from!

Routine Tips

• Eat well-balanced meals. Snacks are good too (healthful and energy-filled if you can swing it). Don’t skip meals either; even if it’s a small meal, it helps!
• Get enough sleep. When stressed, your body needs more sleep and rest than usual.
• Exercise daily.
• Take deep breaths.
• Count to 10 slowly. Deep, measured breaths are helpful.

Coping Strategies

• Do your best. Instead of aiming for perfection, which isn’t possible, be proud of however close you get.
• Accept that you cannot control everything. Put your stress in perspective: Is it really as bad as you think?
• Welcome humor. A good laugh goes a long way.
• Maintain a positive attitude. Make an effort to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Learn what triggers your anxiety. There’s a ton to be stressed about during this time, but can you identify those stressors? Writing in a journal or talking out loud are good ways to get to the bottom of it.
• Talk to someone. Tell friends and family you’re feeling overwhelmed (here for all of you, friends!) and let them know how they can help you.

Physical Fitness

• Running/Jogging (if you can go outside)
• Home workouts can be found with and without equipment. Plenty of home trainers and other people are offering classes for free on a limited basis.
• Set small daily goals and aim for daily consistency rather than perfect workouts. A little fitness every day is better than a ton of activities on just one day! Scientific data suggests that frequency is the most important part of this.
• Find forms of exercise that are fun or enjoyable. For instance, extroverted people like classes and group activities more than introverted people who might prefer solo workouts.
• Recruit an “exercise buddy.” It’s often easier to stick to your exercise routine when you have to be held accountable!
• Be patient when you start a new exercise program. It takes a while to feel good about any consistent program but in this case, just exercising at all is a win.

Activities!

• Yoga
• Listen to your music (jams only)
• Meditation
• Other Relaxation Techniques
• Video Games
• Drawing/Writing/Artistic Outlets with what you have handy
• Light a candle
• Virtual hangs – parties, happy hours, catching up, game nights
• Puzzles and board games – you don’t need a bunch of people for all your games!
• Teach yourself a foreign language (Duolingo, anyone?)
• Books, Books, Books
• Write letters or send texts to people you’ve meaning to talk to. No one is too busy to talk right now, and it’s a good time to catch up!
• TV and Movies for days. There’s more to stream than ever before
• Knit or crochet
• Get delivery from local restaurants if you can
• Indoor scavenger hunt
• Pillow fort

The list is endless! Good luck the rest of this week, and I’m here to help if you need it!

Next week, I’m hoping to share what it’s like living through this moment as someone with depression and anxiety and would love to hear from people about their experiences. If you’d like to share, send me a DM on Twitter (@brainsnotbroken) or send an email to mybrainsnotbroken@gmail.com.