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9 Practices to Help Maintain Mental Health During the Coronavirus Lockdown

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9 Practices to Help Maintain Mental Health During the Coronavirus Lockdown

Forbes,

5 min read
5 take-aways
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Your mental health is your best weapon to stay strong during a crisis. Here’s how to keep sane.

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The coronavirus pandemic forces people to distance themselves from their families and friends. This has major negative effects on individuals’ mental health. Isolation is unnatural for a species that evolved through cooperation and collaboration. Humans seek connection and want to work together. Forbes health, science and psychology writer Alice G. Walton provides nine helpful strategies that you can easily employ to combat the blues and to stay sane while in lockdown.

Summary

To stay sane while in lockdown, adopt nine simple practices. First, follow a daily schedule. Second, routinely do some exercise.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned people’s lives upside down. With schools closed and many people working from home or not being able to work at all, some may be inclined to break with their normal routine. Yet humans thrive on routine, so following a set daily schedule – including fixed waking up, eating and sleeping times – can help everyone, but particularly the young, better cope with the new uncertainties in their lives.

A lack of routine can cause “decision fatigue,” which results from having too many choices. Sticking to a schedule that works for everybody in your home will free up your cognitive capacity for making other important decisions.

Make sure exercise is part of the routine. ...

About the Author

Alice G. Walton covers health and health care for Forbes. She holds PhDs in biopsychology and behavioral neuroscience.

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