The ongoing lockdown is gnawing at the psyche of many people. Whether parents with small children or single people in the home office – the Corona blues affects all of us. With these tips you can take care of your psyche in lockdown and survive the next few weeks.
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Lockdown bis 18. April
While the current lockdown will last at least until April 18, further measures such as a “bridge lockdown” are already being discussed, which should bridge the period until a larger number of citizens have full vaccination protection. Current exit restrictions and the closure of retail until further notice are causing resentment and a bad mood among the population. And there are already warnings of a fourth wave . How does this long corona pandemic affect our psyche ?
Study: This is how Germany copes mentally with it
The months of back and forth between lockdown and easing causes frustration, confusion and despair among many citizens. The mental health of the population suffers enormously. According to a study in a country comparison , Germany is still the mentally healthiest, but the number of mental illnesses has also risen significantly here. The lockdown is gnawing at everyone: loneliness due to contact restrictions, sporting and cultural events are being canceled – and with them the hobbies and jobs of many people – chaos and uncertainty is the order of the day for most of us, both professionally and privately. We give you 10 tips on how to survive a longer lockdown.
10 tips on how to survive the longer lockdown
1. Keep in touch
As exhausting and cumbersome as the corona pandemic may be, fortunately humanity is better off than ever before when it comes to communication options: almost everyone has a smartphone with which we can send messages within seconds, call our loved ones or even see them via video call be able. On the laptop, we can use numerous programs and websites to start a video conference with our best friends or family in no time.
Please use these opportunities to maintain human contact with your closest friends, relatives and colleagues even during quarantine. Even the biggest loners benefit psychologically from human relationships and in times of crisis we need them more than ever.
2. Keep your hobbies
Hobbies are the spice of life. They ignite a passion in us, challenge us physically or mentally, and usually bring us together with people who have similar preferences. Every athlete paws their hooves when they’re not allowed to go to club training, every artist’s heart breaks when they can’t go on stage or in the gallery. Try to continue practicing your hobbies as best you can within the legal framework .
With your sports club, you can keep fit and keep in touch via video conference, for example. Those who practice stand-up comedy or acting can also gather with like-minded people online. It’s not all the same, of course, but in times of a pandemic, everyone has to cut back a bit. Make the best of it with the help of modern technology. As soon as the infection numbers have dropped, it will be even nicer to be able to share the passion face to face with others again.
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3. Find a new hobby
Many leisure activities can no longer be practiced at all or not satisfactorily due to the measures. Don’t mourn your former hobby – look forward to being able to pursue it again after the pandemic. Until then, find a new hobby. There are almost endless possibilities how we can challenge and promote our body and mind even in isolation. A lockdown is ideal for starting a time-consuming or initially frustrating hobby: learn a new instrument – with video tutorials it’s easier than ever.
Start doing sports – there are millions of instructions and videos here too , which have something for every taste, whether it’s dance, aerobics, weight training, gymnastics, yoga or cardio training. read books . Educate yourself with non-fiction books or do something good for your soul with a novel. There are many more activities that can get you through lockdown. Find something that makes you passionate and get started!
4. Eat healthier than ever
A healthy diet cannot protect you from the coronavirus. But it supports your immune system in its work – and can thus reduce the likelihood of a severe course . Discover new recipes with which you can prepare vegetables, whole grains, fruit and nuts according to your taste. The cornerstone of a healthy diet is about 500 grams of vegetables a day. That sounds like a lot at first, but feel your way up bit by bit: Eat both raw vegetables and steamed vegetables. How to arm your body against Corona.
Try out new varieties – even in winter there are plenty of healthy and tasty vegetables from local cultivation . A plant-based diet supplemented in moderation with animal products such as milk, yoghurt or lean meat provides you with important vitamins and minerals that help your immune system do its job. You’ll also lose weight more easily if you eat your fill of brightly colored vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains and nuts – and thus prevent excess weight from causing additional problems for your body.
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5. Keep fit
Sport also supports your immune system. Both strength and endurance sports cause your body to produce more white blood cells to better protect itself against future stress. In addition, endurance sports and intensive interval training in particular ensure that your heart ‘s performance is greatly improved. This is how you protect your cardiovascular system from diseases and chronic diseases. In addition – and this is particularly important with the coronavirus, since it mainly affects the lungs – endurance training leads to better blood circulation in the lungs and supports them in their work.
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6. Quit smoking
Covid-19 is a lung disease , making smokers a vulnerable risk group. So now there is another reason to quit smoking . Of course, most people find it incredibly difficult, but get the help you need, whether it ‘s from us , elsewhere on the internet , or a book . You can – and for the sake of your health, you should. Make the best of Corona!
7. Stay up to date – but don’t let it drive you crazy
It is important and correct to deal with the latest reports on the corona virus. However, the number of new infections, the expected measures at Easter and which regulations apply in other countries should not take up all of your everyday life. Watch or read the news once in the morning and once in the evening with the latest findings and regulations, but don’t let new infection numbers and negative reports drive you crazy all day long. Use the media, but don’t let the constant barrage of bad news get you down.
8. Make yourself comfortable in the home office
If you’re one of those people who is fortunate enough to have a job that you can work from home, make it as convenient as possible. Don’t skimp on your desk and desk chair . These should be coordinated with each other as well as with your body size. Your elbows should be bent at a 90° angle when you sit at your desk. Your legs should be firmly on the floor. The top of your screen should be level with your head so you can easily look down to see what’s happening on the screen.
It is best to look at the screen as if you are reading a book . The screen is tilted slightly backwards on the table at a distance of 50 to 70 cm from your eyes. Daylight should always come from the side so that it does not reflect. With these tips you can avoid bad posture and tension, which you can’t use especially during the pandemic.
9. Allow yourself to relax at least once a day
In times of stress, moments of quiet are incredibly important. Once or several times a day, allow yourself fixed moments of relaxation in which you can ignore everything around you. This can be done with meditation , but it doesn’t have to be. It is enough if you close your eyes and concentrate on your deep breathing . This simple trick leads to instant relaxation and slows down your heart rate. Create times and spaces in which you consciously do NOT think about Corona or the incidence of the last seven days.
For example, create a relaxing ritual: go for a long walk every day during your lunch break or before or after work and listen to your favorite music or a podcast. Therapy with a daylight lamp can also help against winter depression and sleep disorders in the dark season .
10. Give structure and routines to your everyday life
Especially in chaotic times it is important for us humans not to lose control. If you live for the day and don’t worry about the next, you miss the opportunity to make more of your life – and increase your risk of developing mental illness. Establish a morning routine that ideally includes some exercise and a healthy, not-too-sugar breakfast. Get up at the same time every day and go to bed at the same time at night. A good sleep rhythm is extremely important for your immune system, your performance and your mood.
Therefore, create an evening routine that could include meditation . Write down the most important thoughts of your day and formulate goals for tomorrow. Also, set goals for your hobbies: for example, learning a certain piece on the guitar by next weekend and playing it to your best friend via video chat. Or that you would like to extend your jogging session by one kilometer within the next few weeks or complete it in a shorter time.
