World Health Day
World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization. This year, we’ve chosen to focus on how we have been looking after our mental health this lockdown. It has been a tough and unsettling time for most so here’s what we found to help get us through.
Headspace.
Headspace is an app that is loved by many, you can download it straight to your phone and it guides and focuses on mindfulness and meditations.
You can start off with the basic programme that covers a guided meditation in only 10 minutes, gaining access to hundreds of meditations on everything from stress and anxiety to sleep and focus. They offer a 7-day free trial so you can see if it works for you before investing long term. They also claim that their research is science-backed, and there is plenty of information on their website to support this, find out more here
Calm App.
Finding it difficult to unwind and switch off? or do you have trouble sleeping?
You could try the Calm app. It is fast becoming one of the best mental health apps available. Calm provides people experiencing stress and anxiety with guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, and relaxing music. They claim they are the number 1 app for meditation and sleep. You can answer some questions and they create a personalized experience based on your answers. Some meditations are free to try but most others you have to pay for. If you sign up now there is an offer for 40% off. They also offer a 7-day free trial.
What we loved about this app is that you can gift it to someone, you can pay for a year or a lifetime subscription, it’s a really unique gift idea
Yoga.
Have you tried Yoga? The practice of Yoga has been around for 5000 years and originated in India. There is a clear reason why many around the world practice this art form, Yoga strengthens the mind and the body, by practicing breathing techniques and self-soothing mantras. Known for “Reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress more flexibly” – Harvard Health Publishing
Why not try this online yoga classes we found online for £20 a month. With this subscription, you have access to unlimited yoga at any time an plus they offer a free trial, so you can give it a go before you buy.
Physical exercise.
The days are getting longer and warmer, getting outside and going for a walk or for a run can really help relieve any stresses from the day,
Our e-commerce manager, Ash has recently completed the Couch to 5K challenge, she swears this has made her feel better mentally and physically, maybe not at the start of the run, but definitely after! Exercise is known to boost endorphins, which triggers a positive feeling in the body. During lockdown, and with Gyms closing some people have found it difficult to keep up with their exercise regimes, and others have really embraced what they do have and exercised outside or virtually, whatever it is that you can do, even if it’s a walk with friends (followed by a picnic outside, with up to 6) give exercise a go at making you feel better.
Podcasts.
I have been listening to podcasts before bed to help me sleep, I have really enjoyed listening to ‘The Diary of a CEO’ Podcast series by Steven Bartlett, if you haven’t been exposed to Steven’s motivational speeches or quotes online, I would thoroughly recommend you take a look, I really enjoy his outlook on life and his Instagram page is often my go to: https://www.instagram.com/steven/ His podcast is a series of interviews with CEO’s of businesses, they talk of success, failure, trials and tribulations and all the fun and messy bits in-between. I put this on at night on a timer and find it helps me relax, switch off and fall asleep quicker.
Anxiety and Caffeine.
Are you a triple shot espresso kind of person? Studies have shown that the effects of caffeine in the body can over stimulate and induce feelings of anxiety, ever have too many Red Bulls and feel a little shaky? This is probably not an ideal physical sensation to have when feeling anxious or stressed, we’d recommend lowering your caffeine dose, perhaps replace a few cups of coffee or tea with herbal teas like peppermint, be wary of green teas though as they still have quite a bit of caffeine, try it for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.
Talking to Friends.
When was the last time you gave your friend a call? I’m not talking a zoom quiz or a rushed text, I’m talking a long phone call, or what’s better we can meet with another person for exercise, call a friend up and go for a walk. It is so important to maintain those relationships, even when feeling isolated.
Remember to be kind to yourself and to acknowledge a lot of people are feeling the same
Here are some Helpful links that you might want to take a look at:
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help/
Comfortable and stylish...
Feel free to get in touch through our social channels to let us know what you have been doing to keep busy.
@Truly_lifestyle
