Why Focusing On The Present Can Help Alleviate Your Pandemic Depression

There is no doubt that the impact of Pandemic has affected more people mental health than the actual virus itself. I am one of such. I have been working from home since last year May, and the whole UK, is on total lockdown means social outing of any kind is restricted. I am not that much a social type of person, nevertheless, I do feel the fact of not being able to just go out whenever I like is curtailing.

Then, there is the issue of growing my online business to make it sustainable. There are ongoing bills to pay, and we all know that staying in more also means a higher utility bill. This has not been planned, we just find ourselves thrust into it. Nevertheless, we have to help ourselves survive. I managed to stay in touch with friends and families on the phone, and my mum on video calls. I am not a TV person, I only listen to the news twice a day on TV, and I chose the BBC because there are no ads, just the news and you are done. I am also an avid reader, and engage with interesting reads both online and with physical books, yet I still feel the impact of the lockdown.

Depression And Anxiety Can Affect Us All

The problem with most of us is that we usually feel we are above depression until we find ourselves in it. It is not therefore surprising that the cases of mental health, depression and anxiety especially has risen during this time. I read on London Metro of 27th January 2021, how a mother killed her special needs son, as she was unable to cope during the lockdown. This boy attends Special Needs School, five days a week, and that is closed because of the ongoing virus. She is separated from the boy's dad, and the pressure was just too much on her. 

For people who are already down with any form of anxiety or depression, social isolation makes the matter worse. Many jobs are lost. There are some people due for important surgical operations and they have to wait because the beds have been taken up by COVID patients. Children are home twenty-four seven, making parents anxious all the more.

Depression is different from anxiety, but there is a thin line between the two. With depression, you lose all hope and are sad most of the time as you keep heaping out problems that are never there. With anxiety, you get jittery over little things, panic even you hear a phone rings, you are unable to concentrate on any task or even keep still. The two can overlap.

Again, it is important to find a way for us to cope as individuals. Our strategy can be different, because of course, we are unique, and different things appeal to different people. So I am just going to share how I cope with my own lockdown, and how simple mindfulness tips can help you live in the present as well as alleviate your anxiety. These tips help me, and I hope they help you too.

Five Mindfulness Tips For Mental Health.

1. Keep An Open And Positive Mind

It might be a difficult thing to do at first for now, but it is possible. The pandemic is not going to be here forever. Use the spare time in the house to learn new skills. There are very many teaching videos on YouTube, and they are free. There is virtually anything you are interested in that is not available. I can suggest crochet, gardening, dancing, cooking by following recipes, etc. If you want to start more sophisticated learning, you can learn currency and stock trading. A London schoolboy earned £60,000 in the first year by learning currency trading on YouTube videos.

Learning does boost our self-esteem and gives us a sense of purpose apart from keeping us engaged. Start a journal of your daily activities, and you will see how well you are living in the moment. Start writing poetry, write down how you feel, read it to yourself and laugh out loud.

2. Connect And Get Involved With Others

I realised that my daily walk down the Train Station, of about one hour, still does not satisfy my need to connect to people, so I searched for a local Community Kitchen to volunteer. I go there once a week from 10 am to 2 pm. This Community Kitchen is like a food bank where local Supermarkets bring in unsold food items to be distributed to interested members of the public. The volunteering work allows me to get really absorbed in the community project. It is four hours of a busy schedule. If it something you can do, look for a project near you, where you can get involved, as it does provide health and fitness benefits. What is important in any volunteering is to do what you enjoy.

There are other ways to get involved with others. There is a telephone befriending. This is where you make calls to some people given to you in advance by some charities who look after them. It is just regular chatting and discussion, asking some questions about the well-being of the person, and offering some encouraging words, especially about the ongoing issues.

Connect by telephone to your friends, colleagues and family members. I call my mum regularly as well as other members of my families, I chat daily on the phone. It provides me with the opportunity to speak to someone and laugh aloud. There is always something to laugh about. Spend time developing relationships. Show that you care and respect others, as this gives us a sense of security and greater sense of purpose.

3. Be Considerate

We have to ensure we are considerate of the needs and feelings of others around us. How is our behaviour impacting others? We do this by being conscious of what is going on around us, including how we feel internally (both conscious and unconscious). We need to dissuade our minds on issues of the past, or tomorrow's needs that rob today of its enjoyment. That is what living in the moment is all about. If we are relaxed about issues, answers usually come in an unexpected way.

4. Be Ready To Give And Receive

The everyday simple act of kindness bears an enormous impact on both the mental well-being of the giver and the receiver. Most of us, unfortunately, do not understand the giving and the receiving aspect. They think that money has to be involved. Think about it, what about the giving of time, listening ear, running errands, or just being there (when needed) are all forms of exchange that can beautify our lives and that of others.

5. Be Always Present In The Moment

There is a connection between physical, mental health and mindfulness. It is easy for a person to be engrossed in day-to-day activities of the physical world and lose touch with their body, mind and spirit. The practise of mindfulness enables us to be always present in the moment including in our thoughts and feeling, which can improve our mental well-being. This is because we understand ourselves better and encourages us to enable the change if we need to.

The Takeaways

The deliberate act of living in the present and being consciously aware is great for our mental well-being. This involves regulating what we pay attention to in our thoughts.

Notice everything that is going on around you and relish them. For instance when eating, take time to savour the taste, delight in chewing and be grateful for a delicious plate and appetite.

Take time to listen to birds songs while out walking in the park. Observe the flowers that bloom, appreciate the butterflies, the woods, the weather and the blue/grey sky.