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As the saying goes, “rising tides raise all ships” hence, is the case for television and digital screen-based media overall. Not forgetting the pandemic, hundreds of millions of people are working from home.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. The underlying fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in people of all ages. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. Everyone has a different approach to tackle situations as such. Major stressors could be the following:
• Fear and worry about your health and the health of your loved ones
• Your financial situation or job or loss of support services you rely on.
• Changes in sleep, difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
• Changes in eating patterns.
• Worsening of chronic health problems.
• Worsening of mental health conditions.
• Increased use of alcohols
Stressbusters
Contact a health professional if you are sick before you start any self-treatment for COVID-19.
Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior. People who practiced meditation for many years have more folds in the outer layer of the brain. This process (called gyrification) may increase the brain’s ability to process information.
Try to eat healthy well-balanced meals, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly.
Physical activity can make you feel better, function better, and sleep better. Even one session of moderate to vigorous physical activity reduces anxiety. Being physically active also fosters normal growth and development, improves overall health.
The number of hours people have been glued to a screen has been consistently increasing. Indeed, streaming jumped by 20% when coronavirus shutdowns first began back in March. In other words, the pandemic spike in television streaming and even social media ‘down scrolling’ may be here for a while well which could be harmful. So here we are to your rescue.
Taking care of our eyes is vital. Unlike other organs, eye transplant is not possible so we need to take care of it. We recommend that you do these exercises every day which will combat eye strain and pain and also strengthen your eye muscles.
Eye strain is a symptom of prolonged visual activities. You may experience eyestrain when you spend a long time looking at a computer screen, mobile device, or a printed text. Our eyes do a lot of work for us every day so, it is a good idea to keep them in good working order.
A few simple exercises may help you improve digital eye strain symptoms.
Focus change:
Hold your pointer finger a few inches away from your eye.
Focus on your finger.
Slowly move your finger away from your face holding your focus.
Look away for a moment into the distance.
Focus on your outstretched finger and slowly bring it back toward your eye.
Look away and focus on something in the distance.
Repeat it three times.
This exercise works by challenging your focus. It should be done from a seated position.
Eye Rotation:
Keep your head steady and look towards your left.
Slowly move your head up then without moving your head, move your eyesight to 180 degrees, towards your right and you can do the same by looking towards your right side then slowly move your head up. Now, without moving your head, move your eyesight to 180 degrees, towards your left.
Keeping your head straight look at the center. Now first, lookup for few seconds then slowly look down then again, look down for few seconds and slowly look up again.
Perform this step four to five times every day or when you feel pain in your eyes. you will get instant relaxation.
If you are a person who spends most of his/her time looking at the screen be it a mobile or a laptop. Surely, the eye rotation exercise is good to go for you.
NOTE: There’s no science to back up the claim that eye exercises improve people’s vision. It’s possible that eye exercises won’t help you, but they can’t hurt either. It’s also important to have your eyes checked regularly by an eye doctor.
Are you living a sedentary lifestyle?
Living a sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous to your health. The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances of living a healthy life. Humans are built to stand upright.
Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel also functions more efficiently when you are upright. It is common for people who are bedridden in a hospital to experience problems with their bowel function.
When you are physically active, on the other hand, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength. Now let’s come to the basic rehab exercises which would strengthen the core.
Bridge Exercise:
Lie down on your back:
Keep your arms at your sides
Lift your hips toward the ceiling
Keep your knees and thighs parallel:
Keep your shoulders on the floor to protect your neck.
Hold the pose for few full breaths and release back to the start position
Perform the exercise in reps of ten lifts.
One of the most important parts of your body is the spine and most of us are not sure about what exercises should one do to strengthen the spine which later leads to major back injuries and weakness. The bridge exercise is designed to help you strengthen your back muscle, hamstring, and buttocks.
Lunges:
The basic lunge works the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
Start by standing up tall
Step forward with one foot until your leg reaches a 90-degree angle. Your back knee should remain parallel to the ground and your front knee shouldn’t go beyond your toes
Lift your front lunging leg to return to the starting position
Repeat ten to twelve reps on each leg.
The lunge is a resistance exercise that can be used to help strengthen your lower body.
Planks:
If you’re experiencing back pain from sitting at an office desk all day, here’s some good news: Planks can help improve your posture.
Lie face down with legs extended and elbows bent and directly under shoulders; palms flat on the floor.
Place feet hip-width apart, and elbows shoulder-width apart.
Engage your abs, then tuck your toes to lift your body (forearms remain on the ground; press the floor away from you with forearms).
You should form a straight line from shoulders to heels. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
By strengthening your back, chest, shoulders, neck, and abs, this exercise makes it easier to keep your shoulders back and your lower back in a neutral position while sitting or standing.
Superman Exercise:
The exercise will not give you the ability to fly or shoot lasers from your eyes, or any of the other cool things Superman can do. But they will give you a stronger core. Just like, presumably, Superman has. (Wink!)
Lie face down on a mat, with your legs straight and your arms outstretched in front of you
Raise both your arms and legs together, forming a bowl shape with your body
Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower back to the starting position
While performing Superman, make sure that your head is in a neutral position in line with your spine. (If you feel like you’re straining your neck, or if it feels too tough the first time you do it, you can build up to it by raising fewer limbs. In case of severities, get your form checked out by a trainer if possible).
Though we understand that for some of you the exercise is hard to pull off but different variations make it easier to perform.
NOTE: Strengthening your back has so many benefits, the most important being to help you live everyday life more easily. These exercises will provide everything you'll need to function better and get stronger. If you have a history of back problems, consult your doctor or a physical therapist before proceeding.
Humble Heed:
During times of increased social distancing, people can still maintain social connections and care for their mental health. Phone calls or video chats can help you and your loved ones feel socially connected, less lonely, or isolated, particularly during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even when you know that exercise will help you feel better, taking that first step is still easier said than done.
Our advice to you is to start small, build healthy bonds, connect, meditate, think well, schedule your workouts, reward yourself as a promise to continue again, make exercise a social activity and practice SUPERMAN (the greatest superhero exercise of them all. Wink!)
Stay Woke.
By Anubha Choudhary, Arkajyoti Roy Choudhury, Vijayalakshmi.
October 2020
