Immunise your mind during these times.

With a rapid rise in COVID cases and deaths; mental health has taken a toll. Here is how you can try and not be a victim.

Before starting off I would like to give a disclaimer:

All information from here on comes from personal experience, articles, research, and papers read online. This may not work or apply to everyone. Do not blindly follow anything.

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Mental health has forever been a problem faced by people from all age groups. Its intangible nature does not allow it to be limited to tangible concepts such as age, gender, income, or social standings. From Bill Gates to me writing this, everyone faces their own mental health and internal problems regularly. Thus, it is not wrong or "weird" to face sadness, stress, depression, demotivation, and general negativity - ever.

COVID, however, has affected us in a way which we did not know. It is a new type of problem which is an outcome of forced isolation. When introverts start feeling lonely, you should realise that something is seriously wrong. The virus has forced us inside our homes - for some - forced us to be isolated within our homes too. This counteracts the culture and upbringing of "man" which is to be a social creature. This sudden and involuntary lifestyle change sparks an internal conflict where you cannot physically fulfil your ideas and needs.

This conflict - you should remember - is YOUR brainchild. YOUR BRAIN. So, only YOU can control it.

Now, I will keep it simple. Some people have been isolated because they were infected, isolated because someone else around them was infected, and some people have gone through unfortunate circumstances over the last year. These are some simple things that can be done (with examples) in order to reverse the negative effect of COVID:

Reflect. People during the pandemic have become binge-watchers or have started to occupy themselves with work in order to distract themselves from the situation around us. This distraction is crucial; however, there is an extent. Reflecting is an essential exercise that all should attempt. It is a common practice that is actively taking place in your brain, but, now you have to become conscious about it. Take 5 minutes off - truly for yourself - that means no mobile, no work, no talk, nothing. 5 minutes out of the 24 hours you have in a day, and just sit with your thoughts and let them guide you.

Connect. Isolation has taken one thing away from us - physical interaction. However, thanks to the 21st century, we have the internet. So please do not hesitate to connect and interact with your cousins, relatives, friends, etc. You don't have to mentally isolate yourself too.

Stay fresh. Regardless of the restrictions you face, take this time as an opportunity to work on yourself rather than wasting it. You wanna binge watch? Do it. You wanna work out? Do it. You wanna learn cooking? Do it. You want to help out at home? Start now. Keep changing things around you, maybe sleep on the other side of the bed, or maybe try picking up new hobbies. Just avoid staleness.

Routine. A powerful thing you can do is have a routine, which gives you purpose and forces you to work. Lying down is fun, but excess is not. Make a routine, dedicate some time for something, and follow it. Take this as an opportunity for personal growth, and you can surely do a lot in this time. You can start late, early, whatever. But, once your day starts - you should follow a plan, a routine.

These truly are difficult times, and I do not know how much I believe in "this too shall pass". Death, depression, cries, and uncertainty surrounds us, but we have the choice of whether we give in or not.

The more you allow yourself to be lazy - the lazier your brain will be. From there you never know when you start going down a regretful spiral.

So take this time as an opportunity, take five minutes for yourself, understand why you are not feeling "up to it" and figure out what you can do. If you cannot figure it out yourself then try following the small things I wrote above - and I surely believe that you will find a positive change in you.

Times are hard, but, there is no need to make it harder on yourself.