How did lockdown helps us to improve health wellbeing?

A study of people who care for children finds that COVID-19 lockdowns have provided some unexpected benefits.

Survey respondents report four areas of personal growth that have been given an opportunity to flourish when busy lives were interrupted.

People reported positive changes in their family relationships, spiritual well-being, and more.

The study suggests ways we may emerge from the pandemic strengthened by the experience.

As the COVID-19 lockdown continues to keep many of us at home, it can be easy to fall into bad habits. The detrimental psychological and physical effects of lockdown are well documented.

During these difficult times, your mental and physical health need a bit of support. So, we’ve gathered together some ideas on how to stay healthy during lockdown. Hopefully, they can give you some inspiration as the lockdown continues.

How to look after your mental health

With all the change and uncertainty in life at the moment, taking care of your mental health has never been more important. There are several benefits associated with positive mental wellbeing, including things like:

Reduced stress and anxiety

Improved moods and clearer thinking

A greater sense of calm and increased self-esteem

Improved relationships.

Why is exercise important during the COVID-19 pandemic?

1. Regular exercise is essential for everyone under normal circumstances. However, here are a few reasons why exercise is especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic:

2. Exercise boosts the immune system: Research shows that regular, moderate-intensity exercise has immune-boosting benefits that may help your body fight off infections, including COVID-19.

3. Exercise may prevent weight gain: Exercise can help you burn extra calories caused by dietary changes and offset the effects of sedentary activities.

4. Exercise reduces stress and anxiety: Exercise is a proven mood-booster and can help adults reduce stress levels and build emotional resilience.

5. Exercise improves sleep: There is evidence that suggests regular exercise helps you fall asleep faster and improves sleep quality — and getting a good night’s sleep has also been found to boost your immune system.

6. Exercise may be especially beneficial for older adults and people with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease. Regular exercise can help to improve balance, flexibility, strength, mobility, and cardiovascular health. Plus, it can boost energy and overall well-being.

A healthier ‘new normal’: three habits for good mental hygiene to beat COVID-19

1. Focus every day on what you can do and take action – no matter how small. Low-tech and even no-tech solutions matter, a lot. Go outside and appreciate nature (as allowed by your local guidelines) at a slower pace to get a daily dose of physical exercise, relaxation and vitamin D. Call that relative or friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Practice in these next few weeks to be in the moment, more mindful and supportive of those around you. We can all learn to be more flexible and have acceptance (which is not the same as acquiescence) of what we can do with the present rather than what we cannot do.

2. Explore – even shape – the new mental health toolkit. COVID-19 is bringing massive attention to the growing resources available online. Let’s explore and master the full breadth of opportunities for meaningful social connection, mindfulness, self-care, distance learning, telemedicine and beyond. There’s no time like the present to review our use of tech in general and mental health tech in particular. Apps won’t magically grant wellness, sleep or an end to poor mental health, but they are tools that we can learn to use with wisdom.

The Global Future Council on Technology for Mental Health has issued a call to action to empower 8 billion minds via wise and ethical development and adoption of a wide array of emerging technologies.

In response to COVID-19, many developers are offering free online tools which can be used to spark more self-reflection and to develop better sleep, exercise and self-care habits.

Cultivating these habits can have significant and most timely effects such as changes in our immune systems. If widespread enough, this realization can revolutionize how we tackle general and mental health going forward.

3. Empower those around you. We can all take ownership of and be supportive and responsive to our communities – our families, neighborhoods, work, societies. A recent US study has shown that the most effective public health messages in slowing the spread of COVID-19 are those that focus on considerations of duty and responsibility to family, friends, and fellow citizens, not just our own personal agenda.

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