Tips to help you stay mentally healthy in 2021

As we are not tired of the pandemic, unfortunately, it is still not over. And yet it continues to give us additional reasons for anxiety and frustration.

We’ve put together tips that can help you take better care of your mental health in the new year. After all, restrictions, isolation and uncertainty affect us more than it seems. 

Remember to always take care of your health

And don’t reap the rewards when things got really bad. Our mental health, for example, is often affected by simple self-care. This includes healthy food, sleep, and exercise. Yes, this is what almost every health article talks about. But only because these factors really play an important role. Prioritize your mental and physical health during a pandemic. Exercise at home, cook your own meals more often, and analyze how you can improve your sleep. You will immediately notice how positive changes will affect your life. 

Find something you can control 

Uncertainty about the future is what poisoned our lives throughout 2020. Because no one could predict what would happen next. And, unfortunately, we are all in this limbo in 2021. Psychologists in this situation advise focusing on what can be controlled. For example, some small tasks that are more dependent on you. Such as the daily routine or wearing a mask in a public place. Understanding that you can keep the situation under control helps reduce anxiety. And this is what we all need right now. 

Forget the word "should" 

With the onset of the pandemic and self-isolation, all people (mostly those who have Instagram) decided to actively engage in self-development. Because there is more time and someone decided that we should not waste it on useless things. It is better to learn a new language, master yoga, or take a few courses or marathons. But due to the fact that all marathon runners are not only getting better, but also talking a lot about it, those who have not done anything “useful" during quarantine began to feel worse. They began to feel ashamed more often and blame themselves for the fact that everyone around them is doing something, but for some reason he is not. In the new year, you should learn not to look back at other people’s achievements. And even more so, do not blame yourself for the fact that you could not do something. 

Don’t blame yourself for being better than someone else 

Some of us have been affected by the pandemic a little less. And for some it, on the contrary, even gave new opportunities. And in this situation it is easy to fall into the trap of your guilt. Especially when you look at how bad it was for the majority. How people were laid off at work, how many fell ill and lost friends and relatives. Moreover, all this is still happening. But feeling ashamed or guilty about being luckier than someone else won’t do anything to improve the situation. You are only making it worse for yourself. There will always be people whose problems society considers "more serious." But that doesn’t mean you can’t worry about yours just because someone else is in more pain right now. 

Invent and create something new 

With an eye to the fact that things familiar to us are now inaccessible. For example, we cannot accurately plan our summer vacation because we do not yet know if the borders will be opened. But now we can start traveling around our country (of course, observing all security measures). This “replacement” will help you not to lose faith that one day everything will work out. Because I want to believe that one day it will be so. 

Use all possible help resources 

If you really need them. It can be a simple conversation with a friend or an appeal to a psychologist. With the onset of self-isolation, many specialists began to conduct consultations online. And it made it easier to take care of your mental health. After all, now we do not even need to leave the house for this. Also, thanks to quarantine, people began to talk more often about the importance of social contacts. And now you are not ashamed to admit that you need communication, human support or new connections. And this is a big step towards improving the situation in a global sense. After all, friends are needed not only at school age, but making friends with someone when you are an adult is much more difficult.