Over the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about some serious changes in our lives. This has left many people feeling more stressed than usual. After the pandemic, many people are finding it a struggle to get back to a sense of normality in their lives, whether that involves returning to work, going out socialising with friends or tackling daily life without COVID restrictions in place after getting used to them for so long. Whether you want to get back to normal life as quickly as possible or are concerned that restrictions have been lifted too soon, this period of transitioning back to a different way of life can be stressful for anybody. Here are some of the best ways to reduce stress and feel more in control in a post-pandemic world.
Play Some Games
Gaming has been shown in several studies to be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. Playing a range of different games can help you distract yourself from anything that is causing you to be stressed, give you an escape from the stressors in your life and a chance to build skills and coping strategies that you can apply in your everyday life. Gaming has been shown to be a great social outlet, a way to build your problem solving skills, and an ideal option for reducing stress or even the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Follow this website link to head to Online Casinos. Online Casinos provides you with more information on the best casinos to choose for finding games to play online, including comparing important factors such as withdrawal pay-out time, bonuses and more.
Get Outside
Getting outside more can be an ideal way to relieve some stress. In the UK, most people are not getting enough vitamin D from the sun year-round, because we just don’t get enough good weather. During the pandemic, this was even harder with restrictions on where you could go and limits on how often you could leave the house. If you are feeling stressed and worried in the post-COVID-19 world, then getting outside for a while each day can help. Whether you’re spending time outdoors in your garden or going for short walk outdoors in the sun, fresh air and nature can do you a world of good.
Exercise More
Exercise releases endorphins into your blood stream, which are hormones that can lift your mood and help you feel less stressed and anxious. Ideally, you should do around thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day. This could be going for a walk outside or spending half an hour a day in the local gym. Swimming, dancing, or even playing video games that get you up and being active can all be great ways to combat stress and get you feeling better along with improving other aspects of your health.
Stay Hydrated
When you are dehydrated, you will feel tired and fatigued, which will not help your stress levels. Dehydration can cause further stress and leave you feeling run-down without much energy, which can be frustrating when you have got things to do. Simply making the switch to drinking more water instead of coffee, soda, juice, and other drinks, and making sure that you are drinking at least two litres of water on a daily basis, can make a huge difference to how you feel both mentally and physically.
Speak to Somebody
If your stress levels are affecting you all or most of the time, then it could be turning into something more serious like an anxiety disorder. If you are feeling like this, you are not alone, since over the pandemic many people reported feeling much more anxious in general, along with struggling with social anxiety due to the lack of human interaction while staying at home. If you are struggling every day and aren’t sure where to turn to, speaking to a professional can help. You can find a therapist on sites like Psychology Today or the BACP website. Your GP can also help.
Spend Time with Family and Friends
Over the COVID-19 lockdowns, many people were unable to see their families and friends while staying at home and keeping themselves and others safe from the rapidly spreading coronavirus at the time. In a post-COVID world, many of us have a lot of catching up to do, but this can sometimes be difficult if you are still feeling worried and stressed about COVID. Whenever it is safe to do so, it’s worth spending more time with your family and friends to ease back into socialising with people who you feel safe and comfortable around.
Try Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing exercises are a very simple yet effective way to get in control of your stress levels and keep yourself in control. By breathing slowly and deeply, you can slow down your rapid heart rate and start to feel calmer and less anxious within minutes. There are several deep breathing exercises that you can try, but simply breathing in deeply through your nose and breathing out through your mouth slowly will help.
Pick Up a New Hobby
Many people picked up new hobbies over lockdown as a way to entertain themselves and pass the time. But now is also a good time to try something new. And what’s even better is that now that the worst of the pandemic is over and the restrictions are beginning to lift, you can find lots of things to do in group settings that were not available to do over lockdown. This can be a great way to not only try out a new activity that you can use to keep your mind distracted from the stress, but it can help you get back into normal life and being around other people once again if this is one of your stressors.
The COVID-19 pandemic turned many of our lives upside down, which has left many of us feeling stressed. Try these strategies to help you get back in control of your stress and enjoy your life again after COVID.
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