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How To Lift Your Mood When Stuck Inside

The pandemic has tested all of us, both physically and emotionally, and it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed and sad during these times. To help alleviate stress and negative thoughts, here is a list of suggestions to help lift your mood.

1. Take Time to Work Out

Any kind of physical exercise releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, a good motivator to keep your body active and your mood upbeat. Any type of exercise is good, and depending what equipment you have access to, varying your physical activities daily is advised to keep your routine interesting.  

From learning to dance with widely available Youtube tutorials, to giving yoga a go, your possibilities are far more than you may think. Regarding the latter, yoga is a great way to relax the mind and body. Three sessions of yoga each week can boosts levels of a brain chemical – the amino acid BAGA – which helps promote a state of calm, say researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine. 

2. Develop A New Hobby 

Having a hobby is vital for everyone, no matter how big or how small. This could be anything from painting to learning to cook, as long as it’s an activity that you feel can satisfy your creative side. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a boom in people taking up gardening. Not only is the activity relaxing, it also can provide you with fresh fruit and vegetables to keep your diet healthy. Doctors are now being encouraged to ‘prescribe’ gardening projects to help people boost their physical and mental health. 

3. Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness can mean different things to different people, and may be practised in a number of ways. But put simply, it means paying attention to the present moment without getting stuck in the past or worrying about the future. Utilising this way of thinking can help lower stress when dealing with situations outside of your control, and may help improve your mental health if you are suffering from high levels of anxiety or bouts of depression.  

Take a look at our article detailing how practicing mindfulness can help keep you stress free! 

4. Keep in Contact with Others 

It goes without saying that as social creatures, keeping in touch with our friends and family is extremely important, particularly if you’re feeling isolated. Connecting with other people is a proven mood-booster, partly because it stops you focusing inwardly on your problems. But rather than email or use social media, it’s preferable to chat with a friend or relative over the phone – or even better, face to face over video chat. Try to keep social media usage in moderation however, as it is commonly linked to lowering the mood of its users and may make you feel more lonely as a result. 

5. Make a List of What You’re Looking Forward to Doing  

It can be helpful to make a list of things you’ll look forward to doing after a return to normality. Whether that’s a long-awaited holiday to the beach or going to see the next big blockbuster movie with a group of friends, making a list can help reignite your excitement for what you’ll do after the pandemic has subsided and make the current situation feel much more manageable. 

To Conclude  

While this isn’t a comprehensive list of everything you can do to lift your mood if you’re stuck indoors or self-isolating, it is a good place to start as you consider how to keep yourself active, happy, and entertained. 

If you would like to know how Ceed can help you during this time, please feel free to reach out to us today.  

How to Manage Anxiety and Isolation During Lockdown

Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, many of us, even those who have not been infected by the virus, have had to quarantine in our homes.  

The stress of working from home, cancelled travel plans, indefinite isolation, and information overload could be a recipe for unchecked anxiety and deteriorating mental health.  

Here are a few pointers that could help you prevent spiralling negative thoughts during the pandemic. 

1. Maintain a positive mindset

As dismal as the world may feel right now, think of the mandated work-from-home policy as an opportunity to refocus your attention from the external to the internal. Limit your scope to focusing on yourself rather than elements out of your control. Doing one productive thing per day can lead to a more positive attitude.

Set your sights on long-avoided tasks, reorganize, or create something you’ve always wanted to. Developing new hobbies are vital to giving you a sense of purpose, and approaching this time with a mindset of feeling trapped or stuck will only cause more stress. 

Take this time to slow down and focus on yourself. 

2. Stay close to your normal routine 

Try and maintain some semblance of structure from the pre-quarantine days. For those individuals with children, sticking to a routine might be easier; however as you work from home, it could be tempting to fall into a more lethargic lifestyle, which could lead to negative thinking.

Wake up and go to bed around the same time, eat meals, shower, adapt your exercise regimen, and get out of bed at a reasonable time each day. Enabling yourself to keep to your normal routine keeps you active and less likely to focus on negative emotions, and it will be easier to readjust to the outside world when it’s time to get back to work. 

3. Avoid obsessing over endless Coronavirus coverage 

Freeing up your day from work or social obligations gives you plenty of time to obsess, and if you have a tendency to consult Google for every itch and sneeze, you may be over-researching the pandemic as well. 

If this sounds familiar, be sure to choose only certain credible websites (who.int or cdc.gov is a good start) for a limited amount of time each day to avoid the dreaded “doom scrolling” habit. 

4. A chaotic home can lead to a chaotic mind 

With all the uncertainty happening outside your home, keep the inside organized, predictable and clean. Setting up mental zones for daily activities can be helpful to organize your day. For example, try not to eat in bed or work on the sofa – just as before, eat at the kitchen table and work at your desk. 

Becoming less regimented in setting boundaries for yourself muddles your routine and can make the day feel long. Additionally, a cluttered home can cause you to become uneasy and claustrophobic in your environment- so keep it tidy for a more positive mental state. 

5. Use telehealth as an option to talk to a professional if your anxiety becomes unmanageable 

Many licensed psychologists are offering telehealth options over HIPAA-compliant video chat platforms. If you become too caught up in your head and things become to feel unmanageable, remember to reach out for help if your anxiety is reaching proportions beyond your control. 

Letting go of illusions of control and finding peace in the fact that you are doing your part to “flatten the curve” will certainly build mental strength to combat the stressful situation the whole globe is experiencing. 

In conclusion 

By following these five tips, you should begin to find that your mental health improves regarding the stress of these strange but temporary times. By investing your time in developing and learning new hobbies, staying close to your original routine, avoiding obsessing over bad news, keeping your living area clean and tidy, and always knowing that you can reach out to a professional should your mental wellbeing deteriorate to an unmanageable level, you’ll find life is more amenable in response.  

If you would like to learn more about how Ceed can help you improve your mental wellbeing, feel free to contact us today! 

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