5 simple ways to beat pandemic blues
It is rightly quoted by William James that “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
Owing to the current scenario, there is too much negativity around us which makes us stressed. For our safety, we must stay indoors and help fight the ongoing battle of Covid’19. Staying indoors doesn’t mean that you become lackadaisical. How about utilizing this time by following your hobbies and doing something useful and constructive?
Here are 5 simple ways of distressing yourself and keeping yourself away from negativity:
1. Kill boredom & negativity with Film Therapy
Movies are considered to be a stress buster. In an article – Movies may cause special effects on the body According to Birgit Wolz, a psychologist focusing on movies as therapy, he explained how films have the power to release stress. Wolz suggested “Films help transmit ideas through emotion rather than the mind alone. They can counteract the instinct to suppress feelings and trigger emotional release. In short, movies help to release stress”.
This is excatly what we want during this pandemic, “RELIEVE STRESS”. There are plenty of choices for every mood, age and genre to watch on television. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar Premium have many movies which you may like. Whenever I am bored or feel stressed I watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. on Netflix and it helps me forget about all the negativity around me.
2. Exercise your brain by learning a new language
If movies are not your thing, how about learning a new language? Now is a good time to learn an additional language, not only to impress someone or add to your resume, but it is an excellent way to channelize your mind positively. According to an article 10 Superb Psychological Advantages of Learning Another Language published in PysBlog, they shared, research “Language centres in the brain actually grow as a result of successful language learning. In fact, the better you learn a new language, those vital areas of the brain evolve better.” Learning a new language helps you interact with people from different cultures and gives you a fresh perspective of viewing the world.
3. Read to unwind and get de-stressed
If you love reading books but were unable to read them because of your busy schedule this is the only time when you can read more and more books. And to those who do not love reading, this is the only time when you can inculcate the habit of reading. Reading books is very beneficial for people of all ages. Books enhance our vocabulary, increases our knowledge, improves our concentration, improves grammar and also imagination.
This is also a great time to pick up on your reading. Reading is like travelling, it lets you explore different places and cultures with every turn of a page. Not only will it help you pass your time wisely and kill boredom, but it has immense psychological benefits too! Based on an article Benefits of Reading Books: How It Can Positively Affect Your Life published in Healthline, reading help you strengthen your brain, reduces stress, help build vocabulary and even helps deal with certain age-related cognitive weakening. Reading is also an excellent way to relax before bedtime.
4. Cook your way to good mental health
To all the foodies out there, I am sure your parents must be treating you to some scrumptious meals at home during this lockdown. How about giving it a try yourself? If you’re thinking of cooking as a chore or a task, think again. Cooking has amazing psychological benefits too! In research published in Live Kindly, in an article – 7 Surprising Ways Cooking Can Boost Your Mental Health, Cooking leads to a sense of accomplishment, it instils patience and creativity. If you haven’t tried baking a loaf of bread, give it a try and you’ll know what it means. It also instils in you a sense of respect for food and you start eating healthy too!
5. Kill monotony & beat stress by playing your favourite board games
Until now everyone was leading a very busy life leaving very little time for personal interaction among family members. Board games are a brilliant way to interact with your family members and develop healthy competition. In the article 10 Ways Playing Board Games Can Benefit Your Mental Health by Gabe Nelson, they list down 10 fascinating benefits board games can have on our mental health. They are a perfect stress buster, develop mental agility and focus. Board games help form better connect with others who are playing, helps boost confidence, and most importantly, it guarantees a lot of fun and a mental energy boost!
While it is a very difficult situation, it depends on us how we overcome this positively. The only way we can come out of all the negativity is by doing something constructive and useful. I hope this time passes soon and we return to our normal routine, but until then let us learn, engage in useful activities and stay optimistic!
Contributor: Krishnam Mehra
About our Writing Program Student
A 9th Grader from Step by Step High School, Amritsar, Krishnam (14) is very fond of writing and actively participates in school debates and Model United Nations (MUN). He also likes to play squash and is a National Level Swimmer.
excellent article.
Super article.