Life is always going to be stressful. To help you cope, here are five skills to help you sleep, keep active, and allow you to focus on the stuff that truly matters.

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Tips to Cope with Covid
Pandemic Fatigue is Real,
But You Can Overcome It
Life is always going to be stressful. To help you cope, here are five skills to help
you sleep, keep active, and allow you to focus on the stuff that truly matters.
Get Outside
Since the lockdowns, shutdowns, and restrictions started around
the world in March, how much time have you spent inside? If
you’re like most of us, it’s much more than usual.
It’s time to get (safely) outside. We’re not designed to hibernate.
The Japanese call it “shinrin-yoku”, which literally means forest bathing. It’s an
amazing way to reduce both stress and anxiety. There’s also something about the
way sunlight pierces through the trees that is quite invigorating and calming.
Get outdoors for some much needed fresh, covid-free air. Stroll around your
neighborhood, hit the local park, or find the nearest green space and just take it all in.
Physically distanced, of course.
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2. Exercise
Chronic stress has the ability to strangle blood vessels and disrupt blood
flow to areas that are responsible for thinking, executive function, memory,
emotional regulation, movement, and vision. It’s time to get active.
Spend 30 minutes doing aerobic exercise at least every other day.
Go for a light jog, bike ride, walk in the park, or anything
else that gets your heart pumping a little more.
As a rule of thumb, keep it at a pace where you can manage a
conversation. If you’re out of breath, take it down a notch.
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If You Make It, Eat It
There’s a lot more time and effort that goes into actually making something
to eat than mindlessly pulling it out of the fridge or pantry.
“If you make it, you can eat it” is a great mantra because it slows
us down and makes our choices much more mindful.
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4. Sleep
Science continues to prove the link between sleeplessness and stress.
No technology or bright lights at least an hour before bed. Bright lights
after sundown throw our circadian rhythm (our biological clock) for a loop,
and that disturbs our sleeping patterns. This is especially true for blue light
wavelengths from our device screens and energy-efficient lighting.
No coffee or other caffeinated beverages within 8 hours of bedtime.
Opt for a warm/cool combo. Take a warm shower or bath followed by a cooler
temperature in your bedroom than elsewhere, as this helps to induce sleep.
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5. Humans are social animals. Connecting with others was key to our
survival and our evolution as a species. Covid-19 is now putting that
connection to the test and stressing us in unprecedented ways.
“Loneliness is a mechanism that’s in place because we need, as a social
species, to be able to identify when our connections with others for mutual
aid and protection are being threatened or absent.” - John Cacioppo
While physical distancing must remain a foundational pillar to a global public
health strategy, there are still ways to feel connected while forced to be apart:
Make others a priority. It’s too easy to sit on the couch alone watching
Netflix for hours on end these days. I’m not saying you need to schedule
hour-long calls with people, but popping in with the occasional five
to ten minute call will definitely make you feel less alone.
Get creative. Zoom video calls, Skype dinners, Facetime game nights, online
video games, Facebook watch parties. Anything goes. Modern technology has
provided us with plenty of opportunity to connect across the distance. Use it.
Go old school. Try sending handwritten notes and “thinking of you”
cards via snail mail to family, friends, and just about anyone else.
Start by caring for ourselves and those around us. Then look to scale
upwards. We come together by whatever means necessary and allow
our emergent, adaptive brains and bodies to battle the stresses of
Covid, loneliness, and whatever else gets thrown our way.
It’s what we do.
Link to original article:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PTTJ6gQ0Mp02-
DtZmKnxaQYFuyN2arAMv-s3XtrGb6Y/edit?usp=sharing
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Fight Loneliness
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