What Are Some Ways To Deal With Pandemic-Induced Stress?
There are lots of great ways to relieve stress but even the most common ones like massages, therapy, and workouts come with reminders of how different everything is right now.
You have to remember to take care of yourself, especially if you’re trying to keep your immune system strong; Mental health is just as important as physical health and we’re all about trying to relieve that stress.
Here Are Some Ways To Deal With Pandemic-Induced Stress:
-- Remember That You’re Not Alone --
Humans are social animals by nature, but this pandemic has threatened us with social isolation. For those living alone, this absence of human connection can exacerbate stress and create a level of anxiety that is unhealthy.
(To help with these feelings of loneliness you can):
*Reach Out Online*
Create or join an online support group that allows you to connect with neighbors and discuss shared challenges, experiences, and interests.
*Socialize digitally*
Use cellphones (call, text, & video chat) to feel connected to friends, colleagues, and family while maintaining safe social distance.
*Check-in Regularly*
Keeping in contact with the ones you love and having the reassurance that they are okay can help reduce stress in an already stressful situation.
-- Establish Healthy Habits --
Taking care of our bodies can help to optimize our ability to think clearly, solve problems, and manage our emotions.
(Healthy habits that you can control while dealing with pandemic-created stress include):
*Practice good sleep hygiene *
Allow yourself enough time to get adequate sleep each night and create an environment that promotes rest.
*Stay active*
Exercise is key to maintaining a healthy mindset. Try to keep moving, even though some days it feels impossible.
*Focus on nutrition*
Eating high-quality foods that contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants help nourish the brain and protect against oxidative stress.
-- Try Not To Dwell On Grief --
Most of us have been feeling grief over the loss of routines, certainty, and a perception of themselves as being generally healthy and protected. Growing uncertainty and an ever-evolving news cycle of bad news have people feeling increasingly unsafe.
(Here are some thoughts on how you can process grief in constructive ways):
- Practice gratitude.
- Explore new hobbies.
- Express feelings to friends and loved ones.
-- Remember To Laugh --
Laughter has a positive impact on our health, both in the short-term and in the long-term. When you begin to laugh, it doesn't just enhance your mental state—it induces physical changes in your body like releasing endorphins, lowers your blood pressure, and stimulates circulation and promotes muscle relaxation (*both essential for reducing physical symptoms of stress).
While we’re all about talking to others, laughing, and supporting each other, we are also HUGE fans of creating artwork as a form of relaxation. It’s true that getting creative and painting, drawing, and other forms of art-making can help to reduce stress and induce relaxation, mentally and physically.
It’s actually quite impossible to paint and stress at the same time. One side of the brain is working hard at creating and being artistic while the other side fights to solve problems and worry… They just don’t mix.
Take some time to use your right side of the brain (every day in some way if you’re able), and get in touch with your inner-artist. Whether you’re painting, sketching, taking photographs, knitting, or even baking, you will notice a significant drop in stress and will be able to relax a little during these times.
See some of the many ways that painting (and other creative activities) can help to reduce stress:
https://www....reduce-stress
You can join us for a painting class, either in-person at the studio OR virtually from the location of your choice! Our FULL calendar is available on the link at the bottom of the page, and you can see all of the in-person classes we’re offering, in addition to the Live Virtual Classes… AND even our take-home paint kits!
Thank you all so much for sticking with us through all of this, and all of the local Naperville small businesses thank you, as well. Continuing to buy gift certificated, join us for limited seating classes, and of course, buying our virtual classes and paint kits has helped so much and we appreciate it!
We hope that our art classes have helped to bring a little bit of happiness into your life, as painting brings so much into ours. Have fun with your loved ones as you paint from your own home (or our studio) and remember to always look at the brightside of things. You can always find one with the right mindset. <3