How to Keep your Mind and Body Cool during the Quarantined Summer
How to Keep your Mind and Body Cool during the Quarantined Summer
Summers have arrived amid the extended lockdown. As if the quarantine induced helplessness was not enough to plague our lives, we are faced with yet another situation. We are already living under constant isolation and have picked up various unpleasantries. News reports of increased domestic violence are emerging which adds on to another pile of stress because many of us has started noticing the same in our own households. These times of uncertainty can take a massive toll on our mental and physical health.
How your mental well being is threatened during lockdown:
- We are basically social animals. Human companionship is not only our basic nature but also we are dependent over it for our livelihood. Getting deprived of it is the ultimate torture one can possibly think of.
- As a result social distancing does affect us negatively. Those who are quarantined have greater impact on their mental well being.
- It could lead to depression and much more severe conditions if not timely taken care of.
In addition to that, summers are already here. Summers are not bad at all, in fact they are extremely important for maintenance of life on Earth. But my major concern here is that most of us weren’t well prepared for it due to the sudden onset of lockdown. Most people like me didn’t have enough time to equip themselves with measures to survive the oncoming harsh season. It is worse for people who have just moved to a certain location and are now stuck for summer without any cooling equipment availability. Cherry on top, lockdown got extended (for our own good though) along with the uncertainty of any possibility of arranging thermal management system. Guess what, markets are shut down and home deliveries are not a viable option. What would you do in such situation then?
First things first, you need to keep reminding yourself that it is a temporary situation. It is only a matter of few more weeks then life will get back on track. Trust me, any ray of potential hope is far much effective than repeatedly stressing over it.
You can sustain you health and cool off your mind and body this summer by adopting several tips that will offer a significant amount of relief. Let’s delve into them.
A Calm Mind is the Core of a Healthy Life!
Mind is the powerhouse of the body. You need to feed it well for proper body functioning. Although there are brain foods available in the market which I am certainly not pointing at. Mental peace is what a brain craves for more than any diet supplement. This requirement is pretty scarce these days due to the obvious reasons off course.
Here are some steps which could mellow you down a bit.
Make a routine you can stick with
There is nothing as calming as the sense of accomplishment. Your daily routine must have changed quite a bit these days and must be the reason of your irritation. This calls for dire need of a new schedule. It is important to stick to this one because the satisfaction of accomplishment leads to happiness.
I am not going to address each and every social class, but generally dividing them into working and non-working groups will make it easier.
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Working people |
Non working people |
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If you have made arrangements to work from home, you should readjust your time table and calendar in the first place.
Secure a suitable place in your house as your work station. Make sure it is the best place where you can get maximum focus.
It goes without saying, complete your targets on timely manner.
Avoid burnout. Don’t get overwhelmed with your freedom of work and end up overworking.
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Students, home makers, individuals who are currently out of work have the most advantage with time. You have plenty of it so make a schedule for yourself on your terms.
Look around, you will notice certain things that need to be fixed or remodelling. Get on to them with the help of available resources.
Break up your day into small tasks. Help your family members, especially your mother.
It is the best time to update your resume. Jobs will be there for you after the lockdown lifts. So hang in there and stay prepared.
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Take care of personal hygiene
I know I know we all must have been washing our hands with soap for 20 seconds even in our dreams, but here I am giving another tip which indirectly complies with anti-COVID measures.
If you feel agitated- take a bath!
If you feel any sign of anxiety, restlessness, boredom- Take a Bath!
If you are simply getting irritated at your work tasks or house chores- TAKE A BATH!
What will it do? You will see! Let me ask you first how do you feel after taking a refreshing bath after a long day at work? Well, it works the same way here. Bathing is mutually a metaphorical and literal act of cleansing your soul of any impurities that might have clogged your mind and body. It will wash away any germs or toxins and help you keep you in good spirits. Believe it or not those fancy spas are based on the exact same principle. A simple hygiene measure will bring a lot of positivity in your mind and soul. Summers are here alright, so nothing will feel more refreshing than the cold splash of running shower. Make sure to take care of your allergies too. If you are sensitive to cold water, switch the water temperature. It will have the same effect. If you don’t trust me, go on and have a bath, and see for yourself!
Listen to soothing music
If something bothers you, my advice is to keep the trouble away from you by cutting off the audio. This does-not mean you should plug-in those ear-phones as soon your mom give you a chore to do! Jokes apart, what I mean is, it won’t hurt to take or two music breaks. Music has powerful tendency to alter your mood. Sad music can help you alleviate your pain while happy or rock music can augment the respective emotions. This time, I would suggest you to only listen to soothing and happy music. Music works wonders! Taking the earlier example, you can listen to music while giving a hand to your mom in the kitchen or house chores. You will see it will turn out to be less tedious this way.
No electronic devices post dinner
This literally means you should keep your phones or laptops on charging mode away from you. Especially before bed time. We all have developed the habit of keeping ourselves informed of the world affairs throughout the day. Although I would advice to not listen or watch any COVID related information you find on the internet, unless proved authentic. If you can’t sort out the problem the only thing too much information will do to you is cause mental imbalance. But since we can’t avoid our inevitable nature of curiosity, try to keep all that research for day time alone. An hour before going to sleep, switch off your mobile phones. Nothing will change during that time trust me. You can catch up on the missing information on the very next day. If you are not sleepy or can’t sleep without a pacifier then let me suggest you an alternative solution- books! Nothing will knock you out like a good inked story book. Entertaining and sleep inducing at the same time. Or you can ask your folks to read out a story to you. Time to relive your childhood and strengthen family bond!
The ultimate solution- Exercise!
This is probably the most suggested tip you will find across internet. I have intentionally kept it for last because as stereotyped this tip sounds, it is the most effective one among all.
I know keeping up a one hour intensive cardio routine is not everyone’s cup of tea, nor I am suggesting you to become a fitness maniac. I am talking about relaxed breathing exercises. It is amazing what few deep breaths can do for you in moments of anxiety.
There are various yoga exercises that you can do. Pranayam is the most versatile pose that has proven benefits. Go to your balcony or a well ventilated room will suffice if you don’t have a balcony. Close your eyes, relax and start with deep breathing for 5 minutes then gradually do it for 20. Embrace the power of breathing, a true reminder that you are alive!
That was all about keeping your cool during quarantine, but what about the overall cool off measures for this summer?
I mentioned in the beginning of the blog that these summers will be particularly harsh on those like myself, who haven’t gotten the chance to prepare for it due to sudden lockdown. The tips that I am about to give you are also useful for others who want to go for cooling options that are easy on their pockets. As the nation is already facing a financial crisis, let’s take a look at how you could manage to cut off heat amid the unexpected budget cuts.
How to Cool-Off This Summer on a Budget!
Money is tight right now! Beside the wager cut-offs and increasing unemployment issues, going out for buying budget-friendly air conditioners are totally out of the question. It will take a while for the economy to get back on its feet even after the lockdown ends, until then you need to hold onto whatever savings you have got.
Actually, you don’t really need expensive air conditioning cooling systems to stay under 37 degree Celcius. With certain adjustments and possible DIY skills you can easily beat-off the heat. Just go through following tips:
Insulate your house windows
Since we all are bound to stay indoors for the time being, it is obvious that house temperature needs to be optimised. A lot of considerable amount of heat is trapped through our glass windows. Keep the sun out by covering your windows with bright coloured curtains during the day. An additional tip for insulation is to stick cardboard papers over them which cuts-off sun rays. Keep your windows and doors closed between 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Make sure to open them afterwards to allow the heat to pass out and proper cross ventilation across your house rooms.
Make smart choices with electrical appliances
If your house is at the top floor it is apparent that your house would heat up pretty quickly. A simple phenomenon is involved here. When Earth heats up, the surrounding air gets warmer and rises up being lighter than the lower levels. The top floors meet with the wrath of the hot air and ultimately the housemates suffer. If you have understood this phenomenon then your choices should be smart too. If there is a possibility for you to remain at one part of the house during the day, which has sort of less exposure to sun, then you should do it. But, obviously because of the lockdown your family members will be choosing the same room which is not favourable for anyone. In that case you need to prep your own room to banish heat. In addition to the first tip mentioned above you can make slight adjustments to your house:
- Keep the power points unoccupied when not in use.
- Refrigerators too let out heat from their backs, adjust the position so that the escaped heat goes out of your premise.
- Turn off fans when you are not using the room. They need to cool down too for proper functioning.
- Keep dust off from fan blades. Dust tend to put extra load on them and slow them down.
Adopt DIY cooling mechanisms
You will find plenty of Do It Yourself hacks for regulating your house temperature. Some of them are:
- Soak your curtains which will act as humidifiers. Air passing through them will be saturated and cool down room temperature.
- You can apply the same mechanism over your bed sheets. Make sure to wash them on regular basis to avoid any pathogens proliferating in the wet fabric.
- Keep a bowl full of ice in front of your fan. The air will be a lot cooler.
- Switch to low floor bedding for sleeping. The lesser is the height more cooler will be the air.
Keep your insides cool too
After prepping everything as above, you are done with the long term arrangement. Now comes the turn of balancing your body temperature. For that just follow these tips:
- Take cold shower at intervals. Set your bath routine around the hottest times of the day. You don’t need to take full on bath at every bathroom visit. A simple rinsing routine will suffice.
- Peppermint body wash liquids are the best het suppressants during summers. You will be left with cool feeling for hours after your bath. It has therapeutic properties as well.
- Increase your water intake throughout the day. You need to keep yourself hydrated especially during the summers. Keep a bottle by your side and sip on it throughout the day. You will be amazed how much water you can consume this way and not even notice.
- Treat yourself with frozen goodies. Popsicles are more preferable over cream based ones though.
So, there you have it. Essential tips to keep your cool during this summer while being quarantined. It is necessary to keep yourself busy and indulge in productive activities. Until the lockdown lifts off, manage your mental and physical well being. Remember, this is a temporary situation and you are not alone.
With that thought, Stay Strong! Stay Cool!