Tips to protect mental health during restrictions

play with your children, do some gardening, tidy up your room, just focus on present moments.

SETUP SHARED GOALS FOR THE FAMILY May be you and your family all share the anxiety, setup goals you can manage now and not after the outbreak.

KEEP YOURSELF ACTIVE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY Restrictions means you cannot swim or go to gym but you can do pushups, yoga, dance, tai chi, setup regular exercise routine suitable to your physical capabilities. Exercise your mind, reading books, watching intellectually stimulating movies, inspiring talks and relaxing music helps.

ORGANISE YOUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS It is OK to feel sad, angry and anxious, try to summarise into short statement, I am anxious because of my job, I am sad because of the news, acknowledge your feelings and emotions helps you externalise your stress and anxiety into clearer thoughts rather than bottling up this emotional distress in your mind and storing it. Focus what you can control and manage.

IDENTIFY YOUR TRIGGERS AND SIGNS FOR POSSIBLE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES It is important noticing signs like tightness of chest, shortness of breath, being unable to sleep or sleeping too much, eating too little or eating too much, headaches, passing suicidal thoughts or impulses for hurting someone else.

EXPRESS YOUR EMOTIONS IN A HEALTHY WAY Everyone has his own way of coping up with emotional distress. Some ways are more damaging than being helpful like turning to alcohol, gambling games, arguing and violence also create more problems than solutions. So you can think about what you enjoy most and develop them into coping methods.

FEELINGS AND CONCERNS TO FRIEND AND FAMILY Setting up support system for each other is beneficial to get through this time together. Talking to others might help you to understand your situation, talk to your friends and family if you feel emotional distress, sharing will help externalise your emotions and feelings. If you feel you have desperate thoughts or at risk of harming others please tell your family or friends, workout safety plan for yourself and family, talking to a professional will be of help.