Dos and Don'ts for a Healthier Lockdown

Surely, you are fed enough information about the importance of washing hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing in this pandemic.

If all you are doing is spending your day waking up late and lying on the sofa binge-watching and scrolling through the memes, then you may have to stop and bring some change.

Here we are your dentist friends to help you bring some little but amazing changes in your life for a better and healthy way to spend this lockdown.

1. Health

Do: Eat a diet rich in proteins and vitamin C. Your body's immune system is the most important

factor when it comes to fighting off the novel Coronavirus or any disease. A well-balanced diet is a way to go.

Don't: Indulge in junk foods, oily foods, or any other food items that do not benefit your overall well being.

2. Fitness

Do: Exercise regularly

It can be easily done by following some YouTube's fitness bloggers (like Madfit, Dr. L.A. Thoma Gustin, Chloe Ting, Pamela Reif) or signing up for an online class with certified fitness trainers who take video sessions each day or a few days per week and you could also install apps which suggest exercises as per your BMI (like apps by Leap Fitness Group, CureFit)

If you can't, it is always easy to start with a few jumping jacks, skipping ropes, and crunches followed by stretching a little as cool down. A few sit-ups are also recommended as they are basic yet effective. This keeps your blood circulation optimal and prevents muscle cramps and lethargy.

Don't: Over exert your body beyond limits. That will only cause more harm as compared to benefit.

3. Career

Do: Be focused on your office/online classes. It is sometimes difficult to keep up with everything. To make WFH more interesting, you can develop the habit of bullet journaling. Click on the link below to get a headstart about what bullet journaling is https://diaryofajournalplanner.com/starting-a-bullet-journal/

You can set a specific morning routine to feel motivated each day for work or lectures. Switch up the routine every 15 days; that way you will not get bored into quitting it altogether.

Take frequent breaks from the screen now and then.

Wear blue-ray protection glasses while working (prescription or non-prescription)

Improve your posture while working on the computer.

Keep changing positions frequently.

Don't: Beat yourself up for not doing the amount of work you would have done if you weren't staying at home all day. These are difficult circumstances and as humans we are social animals, sitting in front of the screen the whole day was not meant for us. So, take a deep breath and relax from time to time. Spend time with your family during meal breaks.

4. Mental Health

Do: Yoga is a great stress reliever. Meditation for 5 minutes every day helps a lot. Drawing Mandalas, painting, Doodling, talking to your loved ones are some great options for keeping your mental health in check.

Seek professional help whenever needed. Online therapy sessions, consulting a

psychiatrist is a good step towards solving one's mental illness.

Practice self-care like putting on a face mask to relax for 15 minutes, putting on lotion, taking a long bath, exfoliating your skin, lighting scented candles, and what not!

Don't: Shy away from getting help from trained professionals. Loved ones can only do so much and there are things which you may not share with your friends and family.

Social media plays a role in the deterioration of one's peace of mind,

spending a lot of time on those apps should be avoided.

5. Entertainment

Do: Play games with your family, watch movies, TV shows.

Here are some recommendations we have-

TV shows

Brooklyn nine-nine (Comedy)

Breathe (Drama and Suspense)

Paatal Lok (Drama)

Lucifer (Fantasy)

Castle (Crime and Comedy)

Two and a half men (Comedy)

Suits (Drama)

Money heist (Thriller, Suspense, Drama, and Crime)

Movies

Gone Girl (Psychological Thriller)

To all the boys I have loved before (Romance)

Trapped (Drama and Thriller)

Article 15 (Crime and Action)

Euphoria (Drama)

Oceans Eight (Comedy and Heist)

Reading books is always a great way to escape from reality and expand your knowledge at the same time!

Here are some books we recommend:

1.Deception Point by Dan Brown

2.The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

3.The 5 am Club by Robin Sharma

4.My Brief History by Stephen Hawking

You could also indulge yourself in a few online courses not only for fun but can be for career enhancement and personal development as well.

Some recommendations on which you can get free, as well as paid courses, are Udemy, Coursera, Edx, TCS-ion, Udacity, Codecademy, etc.

Don't: Watching too many TV shows and movies are also not good. Similarly, completely shying away from these is harmful. Some amount of entertainment is necessary for a happy life.

In this uncertain time, it's very important to keep up with a routine, add some fun to it, and take precautions that will help control your somatic anxiety and reduce your stress. If you feel the lack of motivation, be kind to yourself and understand the feeling is natural but you gotta overcome it soon. Don't let this lockdown be a bane for you, take it as an opportunity to make few changes in life.

TEAM EDITORIAL 2020-21

Rtr Srishti Srivastava and Rtr Niti Thakkar

Rotaract Club of Bharati Vidyapeeth Sunrise