Take care of your mental health!

Everyone always talks about how important it is to be physically fit, but we should not forget to take care of our mental health as well. Maintain your mental health with the following practical tips:

News

So much news has been coming our way lately, via social media, news reports, the internet,… How do you distinguish correct information from fake news?

Do this by consulting reliable information channels such as government communication (www.info-coronavirus.be) and news broadcasts.

Does the overload of information make you nervous and restless? For good mental health, it is important to take one fixed moment a day when you consult the news through a reliable source. It is not necessary to listen to the same messages 3 or more times a day. In addition, ignore the sensational messages on social media. Above all, try to be critical about credibility, because fake news only causes unnecessary headaches that you can currently miss.

Sports

Not thrilled by crowded sports clubs, certainly don’t let this stop you from exercising. There are plenty of other opportunities to exercise.

Go green! Green is a symbol of relaxation and tranquillity. Moving around in nature does wonders for your mental health. Moreover, the sun provides vitamin D.

No inspiration? We have listed a few ideas:

• Look on the internet for some fun exercises that you can do at home or in the garden. To make it more fun, you can always invite that one friend/colleague, because exercising together is always more fun!
• Try to improve your balance by standing on one leg every now and then. After a while you can go a step further and close your eyes. Good for the stability of your body.
• Make an obstacle course in the garden with your children or housemates.
• Find a (sports) challenge and put yourself on it. You can find these in abundance on the internet these days. Time and fun guaranteed.

Home office

If you work from home a few days a week, of course that may not always be easy with children playing, roommates or other distractions nearby. Think of the dishes in your field of vision or the mountain of laundry you see getting bigger and bigger.

This is the most important tip we can give: Try to find a quiet place in the house where you can concentrate. This could be at a desk or a kitchen table when the kids are playing outside.

Regularly stretching your legs has a positive effect on productivity.

Moreover, try to work with fixed ‘office hours’. If you start every day at the same hour, you create a rhythm in your working week. Also let your colleagues and environment know when you are available and when you are not. Once the working day is over, close your laptop and put it away. From then on, you are ‘home’ again to relax.

Healthy eating

Don’t focus on crash diets or on achieving an ideal weight. This won’t make you happier. On the contrary, it takes a lot of energy both mentally and physically. Acceptance of your body, whatever its size or shape, will result in better mental health. Remember: Everyone is beautiful!

Go for a healthy and balanced diet. This is also important for the proper functioning of your immune system. Do you have some extra time? Then go for the one recipe you’ve been wanting to prepare for a long time.

Time for something new

Are you stuck in old habits and want to try something new? Then don’t hesitate and give yourself a chance to maybe learn a new language or learn to paint or knit. Use this to teach yourself something or do something you’ve wanted to do for a very long time. Don’t you have the necessary material? No excuse! Most things you can buy online.

Create a rhythm

Do you sometimes have trouble keeping the days and hours apart? Then make sure you have a healthy daily rhythm. Believe us, it’ll make time go faster.

• Get up at a fixed hour each time, you’ll have more energy than sleeping out every day until noon.
• Take time for your breakfast and also for your daily refreshment. It’s tempting to skip this, but hygiene is and remains extremely important. It may be a good idea to change your jogging or pajamas for normal clothes.
• Lunch at home, it can be more elaborate than lunch at the office. Don’t stay behind your screen and get some fresh air if necessary.
• Make sure you relax after the workday.
• And above all, go to sleep at a decent hour. Even if you don’t have to get up the next day to work.

Also remember: weekend = weekend. On the weekend, you shouldn’t be sitting around thinking about that one problem you’re stuck with at work. You need the weekend to recharge your battery, you can do this by, for example, going out for drinks with friends or by going outdoors. A whole weekend spent inside will soon bore you.

Take care of each other!

Send a message or a letter to people around you who are alone so they know that you think of them and that you are there for them. In addition, offering a listening ear can also be enlightening for yourself. During these conversations, try to show understanding for the situations and feelings of the others, even if you experience things in a different way. Exchanging tips together makes for a positive note. But also simple gestures can provide smiles on people’s faces, such as smiling friendly or waving at a cyclist or walker passing by.

So don’t just take care of your physical health and use these tips to take care of your mental health. And know that you are not alone!