During lockdowns in COVID-19 affected countries, many of us are struggling to manage our responsibilities in families and at work. We are overwhelmed by the new situation and the unfamiliar way of work and family life. In addition to coping with isolation, people face unexpected job losses, partial unemployment, and some of us are advised to stay in quarantine. Many of the working people suddenly changed their offices to homes, and students adopted virtual learning instead of real classes. Both working and nonworking mothers needed to take care of both smaller and school-going children, together with their daily tasks and office jobs. Furthermore, professionals in healthcare have to work in a very stressful environment and handle serious Corona patients at work. In addition, some people are advised to stay in quarantine, and some are fighting with the virus either in hospitals or at home. These situations cause distress regarding the virus spread and its impact on the mental and physical health of our lives.

This blog aims to help you provide some tips to cope with the situation and to improve your well-being and mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown. As mentioned above, COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging worldwide reality. Yet, there are several ways to manage our well-being.

1. Manage your routine 

This lockdown brings the challenges of keeping old routines as well as managing new routines created by the situation. 

• Even though the disease outbreak upsets us in many ways, we shall try to keep our daily routine as much as possible, along with the new routine created by the lockdown situation.
• In addition, try to get adequate amount of rest, try to create a proper schedule for sleeping, waking up, and fix a time for ‘work from home’ hours. In order to work in a disciplined manner, and to avoid distractions, it is recommended to keep the same schedule that you have followed during the regular office timings. 
• Further, try to stay physically healthy by consuming a nutritious and balanced diet in time and do daily exercises. Additionally, make sure that each day has a variety of tasks that help you to remain productive.

By managing your routines during the lockdown and saving your commuting time, you will get more quality time to spend with the family than usual.

2. Stay connected with your network

Every individual needs some sense of connection to others for mental and physical well-being.

• During our regular working days, we are well-connected with our colleagues and society. On this occasion of lockdown, keep a connection with our friends and family by using telephone, email, or social media to reduce the stress of lockdown.
• However, try not to sensationalize the situation during this pandemic, and share and accept the information and contents only from trusted sources. Avoiding the sharing of rumors and speculations will help you and your colleagues to remain free from confusion and anxiety regarding the pandemic. In addition, consider unfollowing or disconnecting with people who are spreading false news and increase your anxiety and worries.

However, the working groups and students are now well connected with virtual forums to exchange their contributions and to discuss further strategies during the lockdown.

3. Try to manage news about the outbreak efficiency

As mentioned before, there is a lot of misinformation and exaggerating news coverages swirling around us. 

• In this case, try to stay informed from the trusted sources of information like government and WHO updates and limit the amount of time (e.g., specific time to check the updates) that you spend on these news and updates in case you are worried about catastrophic outcomes.
• In addition, try to take breaks from social media and live news that overwhelms us will help to manage the anxiety and stress. 

4. Follow hygiene advice 

The health organizations advised following hygienic measures such as washing hands for 20 seconds with soap, use sanitizer, and use tissues for sneezing, etc. 

• A lot of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have high anxiety and fear of contamination. They become more focused on corona pandemic and continuously wash their hands out of fear. In order to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, they wash their hands and use sanitizer excessively than the expected hygiene and amount of time. These behaviors are comparable to addiction or obsession.

5. Manage your expectations

During these restricted times, the change in the workplace from office to home will certainly take time to adapt. You may have anxieties in fulfilling your employer’s expectations due to lower productivity.

• To fight with the situation, try to reduce your expectations and understand that your employer will also be going through the same circumstances. For better and improved productivity, it is recommended to discuss and adopt the same strategy of your employer and colleagues in your team. This will create a positive impression for your boss regarding your motivation to manage the lockdown situation.
• In addition, there is no need to underestimate the impact, such as the cognitive and emotional burden, that the outbreak brings that may influence your productivity. 

Nevertheless, due to the unexpected rhythm of life, one should expect low motivation, difficulty in concentration, and many ways of distractions. The important action is to make realistic goals for ourselves and the people around you, such as family and other colleagues at work. 

6. Make an effort to manage the uncertainty

This lockdown scenario is a stressful time for all of us. Hence managing the uncertainty by staying in the present situation is important for our well-being. 

• It is good to work as productive as one can manage by taking well-being measures. In addition, take each day challenges as they come, focus on the works that you can control, and rely on others for necessary situations. 
• The people with a risky physical health condition may get more stressed due to the effects of coronavirus. In this case, it is important to understand and accept the facts about the virus and help yourself to manage your physical and mental health. 
• In addition, try to identify critical thoughts, physical sensations that may lead to negative emotions and distress and avoid compulsive checking of COVID statistics updates.

Recommendations

Lockdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, results in a lot of stress and anxiety for us. The government authorities recommended us to stay at home and keep a social distance from our colleagues and family members. It is crucial to maintain our mental health and well-being, together with the virus fight during this pandemic. To maintain our relationships and social bonds and to keep our well-being, it is recommended to be in touch with your network through social media, email, or on phone. Also, try to entertain yourself by creating new daily routines, prioritize your exercise and meditation routine, and make sure to eat nutritious food and access to fresh air and sunlight. It is highly recommended to follow the health authority’s recommendations on limiting the spread of coronavirus. At the same time, it is important to stay away from excessive COVID-19 panic and anxiety. Additionally, try to avoid the excessive usage of smoking and drinking due to the extra time during the lockdown. Furthermore, maintain your routine sleep (avoid blue lights before sleep), food and drinks (limit the use of sugar, artificial foods, and artificial drinks) are also important to regulate your emotions and to improve your sleep and to maintain physical and mental health. 

References

1.    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00933-5

2.     https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/116095/how-to-take-care-of-your-mental-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

3.     https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/MindingourmindsduringCoronaeditedat.pdf

4.     https://metropolisjapan.com/mental-health-coronavirus/