Covid-19 has upended our daily routines, our future plans, and our lifestyles. So, it is best to find ways to manage stress for good self care. It’s important to remember that self-care is not selfish. This is a time of incredible anxiety and stress, so focusing on what makes us feel nourished gives us a solid foundation and eases those turbulent emotions. Self-care can include a myriad of practices that you find enjoyable, promoting your physical, emotional, or mental health.
Teeth
An odd one but during this pandemic, have we given thought to our dental health? Following government guidelines, most routine dental care and practices may have been suspended, but it is still good to keep up dental health. Brushing twice a day is key and prevents tooth decay and removes plaque. It is also good to keep flossing and eat well! These are good examples of preventative dental care. According to Marler Campbell Dental Group, preventive dental care is extremely important because it can save you money, time and keep you from experiencing unnecessary oral discomfort and pain.
Prioritise Sleep
When it comes to taking care of your health and well-being, sleep is always part of the answer. Getting good sleep keeps your immune system running at its best to fight off infections, like the one caused by the new coronavirus. Sleep deprivation can make us more sensitive to the effects of stress, ramping up our fractions, so sleep helps keep that in check. It also helps us be more patient and focused and makes us less likely to make poor decisions.
Baking
Productivity connoisseur Tonya Dalton says that “self-care comes with the idea of nourishing yourself on every level. That can include baking because, for many people, that act of creating something feels like pressing a reset button.” Baking something with other family members in your bubble, or kids, or even just with yourself is an amazing form of self-care and can end with a delicious result.
Relax with a Podcast
The pandemic has made content junkies out of all of us; everyone is flocking to podcasts with newfound excitement. With more of us working remotely in compliance with coronavirus safety protocols, it offers more flexibility to what we can listen to. Podcasts can transport you somewhere else like a book. But with a podcast, you can just lie back, close your eyes and listen. If you have racing thoughts, sometimes your inner monologue needs something to latch on to for a while, and it is easier to focus on a story or someone’s voice if you do not have to keep your eyes open.
Call a Friend or Family Member
If you are isolating alone, it’s going to be lonely after a while, and the last thing we want is to feel alone. So, keeping up close relationships and feelings of social connection is so associated with a range of benefits that should be considered a health priority, making it a priority to call someone you haven’t in a while or schedule a weekly Skype session with friends.
Sophie Okolo, MPH 
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