Healthy Lifestyle Tips and Resources During Social Distancing
#1. Stress Reduction
By Dr Maria Cecilia Mosquera
Clinical Associate Professor of Lifestyle Medicine
University Primary Care Centre, UNIC Medical School
Dear UNIC Family,
The current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought many changes to our lives. Working full-time from home while also dealing with personal responsibilities and concerns can be challenging. It is even more important now to dedicate time each day to your own wellbeing. Consider making positive changes in your life, while still following the rules of ‘social distancing’. Are there any aspects of your lifestyle that you have thought about changing? Consider small changes, while setting goals that are “SMART” so that you can track your progress and achieve them in a healthy way.
Today is Day 1 of 6 days of lifestyle tips: Stress Reduction.
- Being surrounded all day with news about COVID-19 amidst the recent changes to your life and personal responsibilities could cause you to feel anxious or distressed. Choose specific times during the day to seek facts and updates from trusted health professionals (e.g. UNIC and WHO), which can help you distinguish facts from rumors (WHO 12 March 2020).
- During times of stress, it is important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Set times during the day for healthy activities that you enjoy and find relaxing (e.g. – regular exercise, reading, music, art, meditation). And, remember to seek help from family, friends, colleagues, or a health care professional, when needed.
Below are some resources and tools that can help with stress reduction:
Stress Reduction Tools:
- National Health Service (NHS) – Every Mind Matters: Stress
- NHS videos: “Stress- Things you can do” and “Reframing Unhelpful Thoughts”
- NHS Mental Wellbeing Audio Guides – 5 audio guides for wellbeing
- NHS stress-reduction and mental wellbeing Apps
- Every Mind Matters – Mindful Breathing video
- Headspace
The Arts:
- Museums with Virtual Exhibitions: British Museum-London, Guggenheim Museum-New York, Musee D’Orsay-Paris, Rijksmuseum-Amsterdam
- Opera: MetOpera Live Streams and The Royal Opera House
- The Kennedy Center Digital Stage and Live Doodling Class
We appreciate all your hard work and thank you for your dedication during this challenging time. Remember that “managing your mental health and psychosocial wellbeing during this time is as important as managing your physical health” (WHO, Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak, 12 March 2020).
