We’ve been going through some tough times these past few weeks. A lot has been happening and we wish that everything could be better.
You may be part of the few who has been too tired lately. Feeling drained even when you haven’t really done anything during the day. You can be feeling helpless and lacking the enthusiasm for things and activities that spark joy in your life. We feel quite mundane and restless because of the unease of collectively all the things happening around us. Not to mention the widespread pandemic and the multiple socio-cultural things that our society is facing.
Let’s call it for what it is – the world is a mess right now. The mind might be jumbled with a lot of concerns, and that’s okay. It’s okay to feel that way. It’s time that we acknowledge the feeling and thoughts, and reflect on those and how we can make things better. Make things better for ourselves, our family, and our friends. How we can make a difference, no matter how small is still something rather than doing nothing.
We’ve talked about mental health on the blog a few times in the past year. It has grown to be a fact that we don’t talk about it enough. Whether for us gamers or content creators, it’s for everyone, no exceptions. There is a stigma around mental health that we need to overcome. And soon, we will be able to accept and find resolution to the illness. Yes, folks, it is an illness where most people tend to fail to seek medical attention. These same people are also too afraid of being discriminated against.
Let your mind and body rest
It’s been a few weeks, even months since our normals have changed. Our new routines might have started as being productive – making the most of our flexible time – with most working from home and the latter, sadly might’ve been off work due to the nature of their work. These times were, for most of us, a time of reflection and rest. But, that being said, you feel restless with the pandemic looming over our heads. The unease of whether or not we are able to support our daily necessities with a lack of resources.
For those with diagnosed illnesses, our mental health might’ve taken a turn for the worst. And we can’t help it. The anxiety and stress have piled on so much that it might be unbearable. The insecurity of whether you’ll still have work and bring food to the table.
Personally, pushing yourself to be productive at this time is actually counterproductive – stressing yourself to be productive, saying to yourself that there is no excuse for you not to be able to do things. The fact remains that we are all trying our best to cope with what the circumstances bring us. As I’ve said in the last blog, we’re all in a pandemic trying to work from home. Whether we are one of the lucky ones who are able to still have a job during these tough times, it can still be understandable that you are less likely to be able to be as productive as before. Be nice to yourself and try not to be too harsh.
One thing that works, for me at least, is guided meditation. It gets me through the hardest times when I tend to be truly anxious of completing even the smallest tasks. It helps me realign my focus and help me accomplish little wins throughout the day.
When everything else fails, and you just can’t get up for the day – then rest. Give yourself time to reel in those thoughts and emotions. It’s okay. Just don’t forget to tell your teammates that you’ll be out for the day to take care of yourself. Don’t just disappear on the people who you work with, okay?
Rest but don’t give up, resting your mind helps clear your thoughts and help you be more attuned to your responsibilities.
It’s okay to not feel okay
When resting is not enough – this is for our brethren who are currently battling their inner self. If you need to hear it from someone else, you need to know that what you’re feeling is valid and rational. You don’t need someone else to say that you’re making a big deal out of a molehill. You do not need validation from others, what you worry about and what you fear most is reasonable in your perspective and nobody can tell you to believe otherwise.
While self-awareness is a good thing, being aware of your surroundings and what is actually happening in your country can actually cause you more stress. We acknowledge that we need this information to be better informed on how we go on in our daily lives during the pandemic. But it cannot be neglected that this can also cause you much anxiety and can trigger thoughts that you’re not okay but you can work through it and will be okay in the future. That this too shall pass.
Distract yourself
Distract yourself from negativity and pursue activities that encourage you to engage your creative mind. Yes, playing video games all day and cooking/baking in the kitchen can be boring after a few days – these days allow us to explore the things that we planned to do but simply didn’t have the time for.
It helps to create a list of the activities (that you can do while social distancing and staying at home) that you’ve been planning to do but didn’t have time for. During the quarantine period, you have all the time you need to do these things. We might not have a definite date when all this will end, but hey, here’s a good time to start working through that list.
Whether it be starting an edible garden in your backyard or a small balcony, growing your own food can be a wonderful way to distract yourself and at the same time cultivate plants that you can actually eat!
Learning a new skill can be another thing that you can do. Learning a new language, drawing, using a creative software or learning how to stream your content if you’re a beginner content creator looking to level up your content during the summer. You can start small with learning a little XSplit Gamecaster. If you’re interested in making your own YouTube channel, why not learn a little editing with XSplit Express Video Editor. You can do a lot at this time. It’s best to get started on something that you’ll benefit from in the long run.
Divert your energy
As much as we don’t want to dwell on the negativity, it’s almost everything that we’re focusing on with everything happening around us. You can also say that it’s inevitable to not know and dwell on the things. And when information is almost everywhere, these details can be obtained at a click of a button whether we’re on Google or on social platforms. With the news and updates regarding the pandemic, and the status of our government taking action on how they can minimize the burden on the economy and our cost of living. That’s out of our control, and there’s nothing to do with those things but worry constantly on things that we cannot do anything about.
What we can do, now that’s where we can shift our focus. Dwelling on the things that we cannot change is will only cause stress and despair in the long run. We worry, yes – to be able to better prepare ourselves for the worst. But, thinking about it – strategizing on the things that we can do does wonders for our mental health.
What you can do, no matter how small, can still be a monumental thing for yourself. Start with the things that you can do for yourself. What are the things that you can do to make daily living better? Making a list of the things you need at the grocery store is one thing that you can do. To make sure that you have everything you need and you don’t need to worry about forgetting anything from the store. Taking time off from social media is another thing that we can do – social media can be toxic at times. Too many people talking about their opinions, and opinions are not facts that we need to accept. Too much information can be harsh on our system, it takes time for us to actually process it. Know what you need to know and get off your phone, there’s less toxicity that way.
o to make sure that you have everything you need and you don’t need to worry about going back to the store because you forgot something. Taking time off from social media is another thing that we can do – social media can be toxic at times. Too many people talking about their opinions, and opinions are not facts that we need to accept. Too much information can be harsh on our system, it takes time for us to actually process it. Know what you need to know and get off your phone, there’s less toxicity that way.
We hope that you’re doing well! May you and your family have the gift of good health and are safe at this time. We can make it through this, hang in there my friends.
