#stayhome: tips for mind and body wellness
The pandemic has changed the way we go about living our daily lives. The need to be vigilant has added a shroud of stress even as we go about our usual routine. In these uncertain times of heightened alertness, we have to ensure we stay healthy in both mind and body. We recently asked our Rough Beauty community of friends what tips they would give to one another to do just that:
1. Regular exercise
The positive effects exercise have on our physical and mental health have long been established but did you know that even short bouts of activity throughout the day, such as stair climbing, is beneficial too? A study found that these "exercise snacks", such as 20 seconds of going up the stairs quickly, three times a day, helped improve cardiorespiratory fitness. In another study, it was found that depression levels in healthy adults can increase in just a week of being sedentary. For workout ideas, check out these 30-day fitness challenges you can try.
2. Gratitude journalling
Expressing gratitude can help reduce stress, increase happiness and resilience and a popular way to practice this is to write down what you are grateful for in a journal. Whether you wish to share your gratitude or keep it private, this can be an easy activity that just needs a few minutes each day.
3. Outdoor time
Being in touch with nature can bring us immense joy. Rough Beauty was inspired by the scenery of the Himalayas, the majestic mountains and fresh air helped revive a sense of appreciation for all things natural. While we unfortunately cannot yet travel to places like Nepal, our own Singaporean backyard offers a few trails for exploring too. If hiking is not your thing, how about trying out longboarding as a solo activity?
4. Spiritual health
Taking care of your spirit and mind is another important way to build health and resilience. Prayer and meditation are some of the ways to do this. Meditation is an activity that you don’t need to do a lot of to reap its benefits. In fact, just being aware of your breathing is a good example of meditation.
5. Rewarding yourself with something you enjoy
Life is made up of tiny steps we take on its journey and we should learn to celebrate them and reward ourselves with something we enjoy. The reward can be simple too, sometimes a favourite dessert or a meaningful conversation with a good friend is all we need to feel rejuvenated again.
6. Home improvement
With all the staying at home we should be doing, you might have extra time on your hands to work on home improvement projects! This could be repairing the faulty tap that you've been putting off, DIY projects to beautify your home or just changing up your furniture or furniture layout to refresh things or cater to your WFH needs.
7. Get a hobby
A hobby keeps your mind active and engaged in other areas besides work or worries. You may be able check off a few items on this list too!
References:
https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-gratitude/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-014-3244-6
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27492908/
Photo by Simon Rae on Unsplash