Although the coronavirus pandemic has brought stress and uncertainty to life, it has also had some surprising positives. Some of the new routines we adopted have not only been welcome distractions but have benefitted both our physical and mental wellbeing. Indeed, life may never be the same again, but these five daily habits are welcome changes worth keeping as we navigate our post-pandemic world.
Being kind
Our mental wellness is key to coping in a crisis and being kind to ourselves and others is a simple tip for dealing with the anxiety of a pandemic. Random acts of kindness make the world a happier place and can be as simple as donating to a food bank or making someone you live with a cup of tea.
Being kind to ourselves is something many of us have had to learn during the coronavirus outbreak, developing habits such as eating healthily, exercising regularly and mindfulness that in our hectic lives we often neglect. Being kind to our body and mind leads to greater emotional resilience and improves our wellbeing.
Don’t be afraid to spoil yourself and give yourself a treat—a new hairstyle, a dental makeover, or a dream holiday—it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s something to look forward to and something that will have a positive effect on your
Daily Walk
As businesses closed and workers told to stay at home to control the spread of Covid-19 across the country, Canadians took to walking for their daily exercise. A brisk, daily walk for 30 minutes has a host of health benefits for the heart, strengthens muscles, maintains bone density and releases endorphins, which lift our mood. It also burns calories, which is a bonus if you want to lose weight.
Walking gives us a chance to practice mindfulness by aiding relaxation and reducing stress. It also provides an opportunity to spend quality time with the family and have fun times with your children as they discover nature and the world around them.
Conferring a multitude of benefits on the mind and body, walking does not require any specialist equipment—apart from supportive footwear—and is an easy habit to keep.
Spending Quality Time With Your Family
Staying home from work has enabled us to press the reset button. The rushed mornings of getting children out of bed, dressed, breakfasted and hurried out of the door for school before heading out for a busy day at work—and then being inundated with chores to get the little darlings dinner, showered and in bed at the end of the day leaves little time for quality moments.
Rather abruptly, this all came to a halt. While there is no doubt that family life can be stressful, having time to engage in activities with children when there is no clock-watching has been one of the most significant benefits to come out of the pandemic.
Everyone will need to get back to school and work routines eventually. However, if you can make time to carry on with some of the activities you engaged in during the pandemic you will strengthen the family bonds you formed during exceptionally difficult times.
Healthier Eating
Minimizing trips to the grocery store and sanitizing everything was one of the effects of needing to stay at home. The fear of infection also reduced our desire for takeouts and coupled with time on our hands, Canadians adapted by cooking and baking more at home.
Home cooking from scratch is often perceived as being healthier than relying on processed foods or takeouts, which are often loaded with sugar. We can control the ingredients we put into our own meals, and if we plan ahead we can make large batches of pasta sauces, chillis and other meals to freeze for those occasions when we are too short on time to cook.
Cooking with your family is a great way to get everyone involved, which will solidify your relationships and help your children discover how to create meals and develop healthy eating habits.
Washing Hands
Hand washing is one of the simplest things we can do to keep ourselves safe from Covid-19. If we didn’t wash our hands as often as we should before the pandemic, it is something we would all be wise to continue when life returns to a more familiar state. Keep lathering up the soap and wash your hands several times a day under warm, running water to keep healthy and free from the germs that give us the common cold, food poisoning and other undesirables.
This article has been sponsored by Point Visible
Amanda Duffy
Amanda Duffy has 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, including a decade in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. She is very passionate about helping people make better oral health decisions by providing high quality scholarly dental content. Amanda is currently a medical content writer at Bond St Dental Implants Toronto.
