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Health & Beauty
Free fitness apps for lockdown workouts With a newly extended lockdown and people’s jobs on hold, free health and fitness apps are a great way to use time productively and positively. From yoga classes to meditation these are the best apps to download now for your mental and physical health: Downward Dog Down Dog makes a handful of fitness apps for Yoga, HIIT, Barre and Pilates. To help people stay active and engaged during self-isolation, Down Dog has made all of its app free until 1 April.
Headspace The original mindfulness app, Headspace is now offering free content to help manage stress and anxiety. The collection, called 'Weathering The Storm,' is free for everyone and includes meditations, sleep and movement exercises to help find some space for yourself. Other apps to check out include: Planet Fitness, The Body Coach and Tone it up
CostaBlancaPeople 24th - 30th March 2020
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Mental Health Focus How to stay head healthy during lockdown With the arrival of COVID-19, we are all experiencing some degree of disruption to daily life. For most of us, these disruptions are thankfully not lifethreatening and consist of things like school and event cancellations, working from home, and postponed travel plans. Our specific circumstances vary, but we share this opportunity to find meaning in this new and surreal experience. In times of crisis, people have instinctively come together to share experiences, show solidarity, and to help each other. This social support has proven to be an important factor in protecting against the negative impact that these events can have on our mental health. The outbreak of the coronavirus is unprecedented in that the advice to selfisolate and distance ourselves from others is the exact opposite of what we as human beings want to do in times of crisis. Here are some tips for minding your mental health during the lockdown: Stay connected Advances in mobile technology in particular mean that we can stay connected through calls, text, WhatsApp, email etc. Use this time to get in contact with people. Contribute to a sense of togetherness that is going to be pivotal in our ability to cope both now and in the weeks ahead. Try to connect with people who you haven't heard from in a while or people in your community who are likely to be isolated right now. The additional time at home can bring tension but it can
also be an ideal opportunity to reconnect and strengthen relationships within the family. Limit social media usage While staying digitally active, it is also important to carefully choose your news and media sources, particularly if some of the information you are receiving is leaving you feeling overwhelmed. Choosing one or two well-informed sources such as the HSE and WHO and limiting yourself to set times during the day to check for updates, can help to protect you from overwhelm and confusion. Remember that some of the information online is driven by the views, opinions and agendas of individuals, and it may not be helpful for you to take those on as your own right now. Maintain healthy sleep habits The negative impact of sleep disruption on mood is well-established. Without the structure of having to get to school, college or the workplace, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy sleep habits like going to bed later and getting up later. Changes to your sleep cycle now could go on to impact your mood in the weeks and months ahead. Scheduling a balanced range of activities in your day - including physical exercise, connecting with others and pleasant and relaxing activities - can also help with your sleep quality. If the uncertainty of the current situation is causing you to lose sleep, talk about your worries with others rather than ruminating on them alone. Time for self-care Remember the advice of every flight
attendant in the case of an emergency landing. Passengers are advised to put on their own oxygen mask first before attempting to help others. We each have a responsibility, particularly in times like this, to practise self-care. Ultimately, we are less likely to be of use to ourselves or others if we are overstretched or our resources are depleted. This could mean preparing balanced and nourishing meals for yourself, taking time to engage in things that you enjoy or find relaxing and identifying the smells, textures, visuals, and tastes that you find soothing personally. An important part of self-care is setting up the structures around yourself that will protect you from burning out. In the busy-ness of 21st century life, we can find it hard to introduce and consistently implement self-care in our everyday lives. Take the opportunity to sample some activities such as meditation, yoga, baking, reading etc. Think of the small changes which you could bring with you into life post-coronavirus. Top tips • Set your alarm and get up after 8 hours of sleep • Get showered and dressed • Exercise for one or two 30 minute sessions a day • Limit social media time • Use on line services productively to take a language course or meditate • Set a routine or times to do specific tasks – reading, cleaning, cooking etc • Speak to friends and family regularly use video calls to stay connected • Get out (alone) to food-shop every few days (if you can’t do daily dog walks)