Covid-19 Self-help
Coronavirus Information Brain Overload
Here are some things you can try to reduce tension caused by the coronavirus instead of burning-out.
With all that’s been happening over the last 2 months regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it continues to change our lives, I can honestly say, I feel like I’m having a total Coronavirus information brain overload. It seems like not only has it infected our species but also the majority of all news we digest, conversations we have among friends and families, and who knows, possibly even our dreams.
Yes, I know it’s a very serious threat, and people are dying as a result of it, but I can’t help it if my mind wants or needs a break from all the negative news and so on. By the time we get through this ordeal, I’m certain we will all have some form of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Here are some things I recommend you try to give your brain some headspace to balance-out instead of burn-out.
10 Tips For Avoiding Coronavirus Mental Stress
- Limit your intake of mainstream news – checking-in to the various news networks to get up-to-date information is not a bad thing but don’t stay continually tuned-in all day every day. Limit to yourself to 1-2 times max. FOMO (fear of missing out) is not helping here. Instead, it’s causing more stress and information overload.
- Don’t stay glued to Social Media – If you’re one of the many people out there that now have excessive time on their hands because you’re normally on-the-move a lot, don’t spend a large percentage of your day on social media to fill the gap. You’ll get a dopamine hit for sure, but after a while, the effects will be the same as continually reading/watching negative mainstream news.
- Try not to binge-watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu TV series in constant succession – One way to kill a tremendous amount of time is to binge-watch the various streaming TV series that’s currently in Netflix’s, Amazon’s, Hulu’s vast content library. However, your mind can only handle so much sitting on a couch watching your tv display constantly for more than 8 hours straight. As human beings, we are not meant to stay in a static position for long periods. Before you know it, you’ll start to feel weird aches and pains in places you didn’t before. Oh, did I mention you’ll start to stack-on weight quicker too?
- Don’t overdose on gaming – Gaming has its plus and minuses like everything else. Consistently playing for 5+ hours can stress you out and make you a not-so-nice person to be around (this is especially true if you’re playing first-shooter games and keep getting wiped out because of your teammates).
- Keep the alcohol intake down to acceptable levels – Everyone has their alcohol tolerance level and should know when they’re about to exceed it. Try not to overdo the drinking which then would cause other physical issues for yourself or your family. We already have the coronavirus and shortage of toilet paper to deal with.
- Be safe with your sexual activities – Remember, we’re battling a pandemic right now so the last thing you need is some kind of STD to add to the issues you’re already facing. Try not to overdo the adult entertainment either. Yeah, you know what I mean.
- Exercise/Meditate/Sleep – Exercise as much as you can to keep the blood flowing, your energy level up. and your body strong. Compliment that with daily meditation of 10 mins or more if you want to challenge yourself. Be sure to get 6hrs or more of good quality sleep.
- Learn a new skill – Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but didn’t have the time? Well, now you have the time. There are lots of self-help, DIY, tutorial videos on Coursera, edX, Udemy, Youtube (to name a few) you can signup for free to help you become a jack of all trades and a master of many too.
- Book reading – Similar to “Learning a new skill,” reading a book or listening to an audiobook can occupy your time and give your mind the escape from reality it needs.
- Get creative – Now may be a good time to get into arts and craft, interior decorating, poetry, music/video creation, animation, or something along those lines. Who knows, maybe at the end of this, you create a music hit, an art masterpiece, or a video/animation that goes viral and becomes another revenue stream.
Tell Us How You’re Coping
Please feel free to share constructive things you’re doing to mentally cope with the Coronavirus pandemic and the ways it is impacting society.