Coping with the covistress.

                         It is very imperative that you keep a tab on your mental health always in order to maintain an overall balance to your well being. There are many factors which cause so much of unwanted stress if not dealt with properly. With this ongoing pandemic, there is another such stress and I would call it covistress. Yes, the stress caused due to covid-19. It might sound silly to some of us, but it has caused a significant amount of stress to a majority of population across the world over the past few months. We have to be very careful and not let the covistress take control and affect us. This could induce nagging thoughts in mind which most of the times are overly negative and unproductive. Many of us can be innovative when it comes to finding ways to deal with stress. Instead of jotting them as some tips to overcome the covistress, I would like to tell what I did to overcome this covistress, anxiety issues and I hope that it might help some of you to find a start point. 

                                                                                                    Because of the impact this pandemic is causing to the world, it is evident that all focus would be to deal with it or to end it and hence this would be the headline of any news irrespective of the medium. I have consciously distanced myself from all such sources of covid news. I might inadvertently come across the covid news at some time through the day, but I make a conscious effort and train my mind to not dig deep into it or indulge into the details. It is good to keep myself informed but at times this seems to be an overdose of covid information causing unwanted stress and anxiety issues affecting the mind. So, I have limited my attention to the news on TV, internet, Whatsapp to as minimum as possible. 

        I have decided upon giving adequate rest to my body. No, I do not mean to sleep for the majority of the day but whenever possible I take smaller naps during the day to limit the traffic of thoughts to my mind. I feel much more relaxed after every such nap and it feels like meditation to me. I felt a huge drop in the anxiety levels after these powerful pleasant naps. 

I was not so inclined towards physical fitness before the pandemic, I guess the amount of physical activity involved in going to work and going out on a regular basis was enough to burn some calories. I am now working from home and a certain laziness seems to have crept in over this period. I have started exercising and I can tell you that I am feeling very good about it.This is helping me ward off the covistress by simulating my mental health every time I get closer to maintaining my physical health. Unimaginable, but I have now set some fitness goals and maybe this is occupying space in my mind leaving none for the covistress. 

I am very used to socializing with friends and I find it hard to not meet any friends and stay at home during the lockdown. We are social animals and restricting our social gatherings due to the covid-19 pandemic also attributes to covistress. Video calls have come to the rescue and I am spending time talking to all my friends over a couple of drinks every weekend, maybe we could call it an online party. Though it is over a video call, it gives me a feeling of being connected and leaves me happier. 

With so much being talked about health and limited options of eating out, I guess we have no choice but to eat the home made food. I have started eating healthy home cooked meals in alignment to the fitness goals that I have set for myself. I have also learnt a few recipes and cooked some meals myself and it appears to bust the covistress by giving me a feeling of accomplishment(I think I am getting ready to participate in the next season of masterchef contest).  

And finally it all boils down to how good you keep yourself entertained during these tough times that matters in dealing with covistress or any kind of stress. I took up to reading again given the extra time that I get due to the work from home setup. I have also started watching movies and endless web series of Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. Undoubtedly, listening to music while working out or cooking a delicious meal can only add to the power to combat the covistress. 

                            All these little tips have put me in a happier space and make me feel content. I do not feel anxious anymore and feel more balanced in my thoughts. It is not so easy for many of us, but a conscious effort can go a long way in dealing with the covistress and thereby stay happy and optimistic of the future. Please feel free to share your ideas if any to effectively overcome the covistress in the comments below and maybe that will help someone in need of it.

Cordon the Corona!

 Tough people last, tough times don't! This is what we say when someone is going through a hard time, to motivate or encourage them to face the hardship with an optimistic vigor. It is that phase of our lives where we need to constantly remind ourselves about this and move ahead with a lot of courage. The news of how this pandemic due to covid-19 is affecting every life on this planet is causing even more stress to most of us. It is very imperative for each one of us to understand the seriousness of the situation and behave in a manner that aids to the control of this covid-19 pandemic. 

                    We all are constantly being subjected to various pieces of advice from multiple platforms, but to no avail if we look at how we as a nation are dealing with this pandemic. The political rallies, the khumbh melas, the crowded wedding parties, are only to name a few. India has really been panned by the way it handled the pandemic. Given the rise in the number of positive cases of corona virus in the 2nd wave, it is clear that all the advice, guidelines, awareness initiatives are falling short. Is it because the message is not conveyed properly to the mass and illiterate population of India? Or is it because of the ignorance of the majority making them illiterate irrespective of their official literacy status? I really appreciate all the front line workers who are working relentlessly towards controlling this pandemic and at the same time it agonizes me to witness few morons causing the virus to spread because they choose to stay ignorant or think they are immortal.  

The health, disaster management organisations are re-iterating on the simple guidelines one should follow in order to break the chain of this life taking virus. Please be aware and make the people around you aware about the deadly impact this virus has on the human kind. It is high time that we as a nation, have to step up and behave in order to have the number of cases decline over the coming days and eventually end the pandemic. If we do not gear up against it now, then considering the current situation we might end up inviting a horrifying 3rd wave of the corona virus spread with no front line workers and equipment available at rescue. 

Given that we are all social animals, it is very hard to lock ourselves up and stay away from each other. We can also become the most creative during such testing times to come up with solutions which would satiate the need of being social. I would also try and write more about topics surrounding this pandemic like mental health, dealing with stress, effective ways to be productive during lockdown, vaccination FAQs with the help of my friends having expertise in the fields of health and disaster management. At this hour, I think I have no choice but to repeat:

Stay home and do not step out unless it is absolutely necessary. Wear a mask whenever you go out and practice social distancing at all times. Wash your hands with soap more frequently and use sanitizers when soap is unavailable outdoors. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible and when your hands are not washed thoroughly.  These simple behavioral changes is all it takes to fight this pandemic and emerge as winners. I really wish everyone understands the need of the hour and help the country, the world and thereby the human kind to get rid of the corona virus. 

Stay home, stay safe and save lives!

Reading - The brain tonic.

       Many of us are aware of the super specialty and the amazing ability of human brain within its complex state. Like human body, the brain also needs some exercise from time to time to enhance its ability to perform better. Human brain's main exercise would certainly be its stimulation. In order to achieve that we have to ensure that we are engaging the brain in some or the other exciting activity. There are many ways to get to that. However, a recent study reveals that reading acts as the best tonic for brain. I can certainly vouch for that. I was not willing to read anything during my childhood (used to stay as far as I could from books) and as time passed I got introduced to few amazing books by chance and since then there was never looking back. As an avid reader now, I read from different sources all the time. Many benefits of reading include, improving your vocabulary, gaining factual knowledge and certainly the stimulation to the brain. Reading has always been a favorite pastime to many and helps an individual evolve into a more matured and stable individual.
                                                                       I have read about this (reading being the brain tonic) on some random news blog and on analyzing it further, simultaneously relating to my case of becoming an avid reader from a non reader, I certainly can tell that the grey matter would get the required stimulation by reading, Initially, to start off with, I would say it doesn't really matter what you read as long as it has an optimistic approach. And, reading newspapers is the best to start with as it keeps you informed. When we read(mostly fiction), our brain tries to imagine and relate to the characters, locations, in the story and hence it simulates real life experiences which is hard to achieve by watching TV or playing a video game. Hence, it is imperative to inculcate the habit of reading at early stage of life. And every parent should make a note of this. Reading also helps reduce the stress levels, it is said and it actually does (happened to me, numerous times). So, beat the stress by reading something interesting and stress-free brain would have its ability of accomplishing tasks at its best. Hence, reading proves to be the tonic for brain. What are you waiting for? Keep reading(should I say, my blog) folks!

Do not 'PRESS' the 'STRESS' button

In today's fast track lifestyle, we are constantly being bombarded with stress & high level of anxiety. I think that this is quite dangerous and has adverse effects if not controlled in time. When we talk about stress, it can be anything, physical, mental or environmental. These stresses place huge strain on our physical and mental health.
Most of us know that excessive stress can affect our ability to think properly which in turn affects our capability of handling complex jobs. It is said that whenever a stressful situation arises, there will be a knock on the effect. I've heard that stress will first limit the blood supply to the stomach which hampers the digestive system and slowly the immune system will get affected. If we are overwhelmed with stress for an extended period we may experience fatigue and exhaustion.
Although it is not possible to avoid these day to day stress factors in our life, we can help reduce the effect of stress. These days there are so many stress management techniques available, i personally feel music as one of the best options to switch to in order to reduce the impact of stress on our health.
Maintaining food habits, avoiding junk food, doing yoga, walking, exercising, these may help you stay fit but all these are very boring for me, instead of doing all these i prefer relaxing my soul by listening to good music. I love to laugh, sleep as much as possible. When i say laughter, i do not mean the laughter therapy, i mean the fun which we all have with our family and friends, laugh the stress out buddy.
Proper sleep is essential to deal with the day to day stress, especially for people who work in unusual shifts. If you do not take enough time to sleep, your body will not have enough energy to beat out the stress. Many ambitious people of today's generation are running around with no second thought to achieve their goals, i don't deny the fact that one should be ambitious and should work hard to achieve one's goal, all that I want to say is you should also take care of your health. If you are not healthy, where will you get the energy from to run for your ambition. Proper rest is always important, Sleep tight to dream and to wake up with all the energy to make your dreams come true. May your dreams come true!!!