Blog Post 3: News Review

Psychological and Emotional Well-Being:

5 Mental Health Tips During Lockdown 

Being stuck inside during this pandemic can feel overwhelming even though we are in the comfort of our own home. Being unable to go outside freely makes the majority of us feel imprisoned and this can have a negative effect on our psychological and emotional health. 

BBC News shares a video with the world with direct instructions given by Dr. Radha Modgil on how to deal with mental health during this lockdown. 

Her first tip is being in CONTROL. She suggests to reflect upon and be aware of what we are in control of and what we are not. We can definitely be in control of the following which is crucial in the present situations: washing our hands, social distancing, and self-isolation. On the other hand, she suggests writing a list of things we are not in control of. This way we can visualise our thoughts on paper, reflect on uncontrollable situations, and learn how to let go of them. This way, we learn how to maintain an emotional and psychological balance with our inner selves and removes unnecessary stress that we do not need whereas, in reality, the majority of us keep on accumulating until we feel like a timebomb ready to explode. I'm sure many of you can relate to!

Her second tip is CARE. This tip revolves around self-care and routine. By taking care of our outer selves and maintaining a routine, we are giving ourselves the love that it deserves from the outside and also from the inside. This tip is vital because unless we take care of our health and try to keep a balance between ourselves and our lives, everything else we do will seem useless because we will be trapped in a circular motion of doing the same thing over and over again like machines instead of living the moment, whatever we may be doing. The first tip is simple - making sure to wake up at the same time every day, but in reality, how many of us wake up at different schedules day after day which ends up affecting our circadian rhythm. Maintaining good hygiene, having a good sleep, and doing some sort of exercise all are important tips that Dr. Modgil shares with us in order to take care of our outer and inner selves. 

CONTINUITY is her third tip. We live such a chaotic and stressful life that balance is something the majority of us struggle with, therefore it vital for us to try and find some time each day to ourselves in order to find our grounding, our normality. It differs from person to person but makes sure you are doing something that lets you unwind and makes you feel happy. Due to the current situation try to find your happy place by doing something you love inside or try to learn something new. Some simple things you can do are watching your favourite TV programme or listening to your favourite radio station, reading books, drawing, playing an instrument, watching an instrument, learning a new skill whatever it may be like for example learning a new language. Internet is your best friend. Learn to use it to your advantage and instead of spending hours on social media, try to use the internet to acquire something for yourself that you can use in your free time or on a day to day basis. 

CREATIVITY is her fourth tip. This tip is crucial especially during this time period because we need hobbies to keep us engaged, sane and give us a sense of normalcy. There are many different hobbies that we can learn or that we already have but could not find time to do them before. Now is the perfect time to start. Painting, crafting, singing, dancing, reading, journaling, cooking, gardening, writing poetry or lyrics, etc. Whatever it is and what makes you feel happy just do it because it will help your mind. It will help you!

Last but not least is COMPASSION. By compassion, Dr Modgil is referring to kindness. We need to be kind to ourselves and seek help if we need to especially during these difficult times but we also need to be kind to others. Help you, siblings, with homework, you mother by cooking and cleaning, you father with gardening or washing the car, contact a friend via mobile or social media and listen to them if they need someone to talk to. Try to give them your advice if it helps. Do something for you but also do something for others. 

Last but not least take care and stay safe.

The tips mentioned above are suggested by Dr Modgil but I added to them by giving my own personal opinion. If you would like to watch the short video on her tips, please find the link below: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/newsbeat-52411394/coronavirus-dr-radha-s-five-mental-health-tips-for-lockdown

Blog Post 2: News Review 

Mindfulness During Lockdown:

 Taking Care of Our Psychological and Emotional Health 

We are all dealing through this pandemic in our own way. Some may think that we are all in the same boat and others may not. Reality wise, we’re floating on the same boat when it comes to the virus itself because we are all human beings and each and every one of us can be hit by this invisible monster. However, when it comes to our psychological, physical, and emotional health, every individual is definitely struggling in his/her own way due to our personal experiences that we are being faced with in present times. 

For those that are trying to find some sort of normalcy by creating your own psychological and emotional balance, whilst the storm keeps hitting on a daily basis, The Telegraph news posted an online article of ten tips and activities for us to try during this lockdown. 

The guide introduces a list of activities that can help us enjoy as much as possible a stress-free lockdown and find some serenity during these strange times. What’s different about this list is that it does not focus on issues like eating healthy, exercising at home, getting a goodnight's sleep, etc. which are of course vital and beneficial to our health and well-being. However, this is an interesting list that can be truly beneficial as a daily routine which I would preferably call them as tools.

The first one is rather interesting. It's something that we do on a daily basis but never think about how much time we waste and how much stress we accumulate by reading and writing e-mails. This tool helps us to reduce the time we spend on e-mails, therefore we are also reducing our stress levels and time. 

EMBRACE YOUR INFINITY BOX

Studies show the average person sends and receives over 100 emails a day, checks their inbox 77 times, and spends 3.2 hours of their working day on emails. Which is a whole lot of time wasted.

What’s the answer? Step forward, ‘inbox infinity’, which is the exact opposite of striving for ‘inbox zero’. While the latter is the never-ending quest for a clean inbox, the former is simply accepting the number of emails in your inbox will always be infinite. Or else, only check your emails at set times rather than every five minutes; never hit ‘reply to all’ unless necessary; hide your inbox so you can’t see emails pop up while you’re working, and know it’s OK to ignore some emails.

Another tool that we can use is by finding some time to disassociate ourselves from our own thoughts and enhance our focus by using breathing techniques. 

CHANNEL YOUT INNER TIGER WITH THE 3-4-5 BREATHING TECHNIQUE 

“No matter what situation we are in, if we can learn to dissociate ourselves from the thoughts and the tricks that our minds can play on us, that's where success lies. “The simple way to anchor yourself in the present is the 3-4-5 breath, which is just breathing in for three seconds, holding it for four seconds, and breathing out for five seconds,” says Britton. “That enables a lovely flow, with your diaphragm expanding and the deep breaths coming in. It grounds you at the moment.

An endless strain for many is money and through these harsh times we are encountering, money can is clearly an issue especially for many who lost their jobs. 

KEEP A SPENDING LOG 

If there’s one thing that drives us all to distraction it’s money. Whether you have too much or too little, planning our financial matters can send even the most rational person into despair. But the Japanese have created the perfect way to stop money matters from causing you too much strain. Kakeibo is the Japanese art of saving – and being more mindful of – money, and it involves running a five-step process money journal. 

On the first page of your journal, start by writing down your money goals and how much you’d like to save. You’ll be reviewing this each week and month to check your progress, so make sure whatever your goal is, it's achievable. Next up, calculate how much money is available to you each week and month after bills. Then keep a weekly spending log. Write down everything from that daily flat white to the payday shopping spree. By forcing yourself to write it down and confront your spending, you may find yourself less willing to shop ‘til you drop in the first place. In other words, you'll become more mindful of your money. At the end of every week and month, come back to your journal and review your purchases. Finally, having reviewed your spending, compare it to your overall money goal. What could you be doing to improve and help make it towards the goal? Once you’ve figured out a plan, write that down too. 

Above are only mentioned three of the most interesting tools that I found beneficial to many not only during this stressful period but also for our daily lives when normalcy is back on track. However, if you are interested in reading all the tools, please find the URL link below.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/coronavirus-tips-mindfulness/

Blog Post 1: News Review 

 How is COVID-19 Impacting Our Health and Lifestyle? 

A beginning, a start for something new — 2020 was supposed to be a new decade for many! Something has new was definitely on the horizon, however, none of us were expecting it to be a pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted the health of millions, killed thousands and we are still months away from the anxiously awaited vaccine. 

How is this pandemic affecting our health and lifestyles? 

On the BBC News website, diverse questions emerge regarding how simple lifestyle choices that were unnoticed in a not so distant past have become the epicenter of many. Questions like: 

Can I walk my dog under the category of daily exercise? - James Leslie, Burgess Hill

How long does the virus live on different surfaces? A friend gets my paper and shopping, and I have meals delivered - how do I unpack? - Mrs. Rye, Crewe

Is it safe to buy fruit and veg, including salad food that is not in any packaging and if it is not, what should I do to make it safe? - R Doyle, Berkeley

are being asked on a regular basis by many. This is due to the fact that this invisible and invincible (at least until a vaccine is found) virus can be caught from anywhere and many people want to be educated about it. 

The questions shown above were asked and answered on the BBC article but the news article should have tackled even more problematic areas that many people are encountering. I am sure that you as the reader can think of some!

The questions were tackled in simple straight answers whereas the writer should have not only answered the questions but should have built a topic, for example on how people can exercise at home during these difficult times. Our health definitely cannot be neglected but walks are not the only forms of exercise that one can do in this situation. People in the UK, for now, can still go on walks but how about those that are in total lockdown like Italy? We have the use of technology which is definitely a blessing to many. Therefore, why not try to surf the Internet whereas one can find many videos and articles pertaining to fitness with guided instructions. YouTube, for instance, has numerous videos pertaining to health and fitness from beginner to experienced levels. 

The news article should have also clarified the means of presenting a list to the readers to see how many hours or days the virus lives on different surfaces. 

Evidence suggests the virus can live for an extended time outside of the body, including on surfaces.

This quote is part of an answer pertaining to the second question. Yes, of course, the virus can live for an extended period of time, but people need to be educated on the amount of time that it can live on the different fabrics, surfaces, etc. A simple list with the name of the surface for example and the amount of time would have sufficed. 

The news article should have brought more to it by building on the questions of others because there is a lack of information that could have been implemented instead of a question and answer only.


If you would like to read the original news, please find the URL link below:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51176409

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This blog is aimed at everyone who is interested in Health and Fitness. Various topics and health and fitness news reviews will be introduced, analysed and discussed. Enjoy!