The coronavirus outbreak has caused a lot of problems. It’s been about three weeks since schools shut down here in the UK and GCSE exams cancelled. For some students, the news is welcoming as they are confident that they can fall back on their predicted grades. Others are disappointed and have spent weeks grieving.
After the Easter half-term, many students, especially those in year 10 will need to start getting back into some sort of routine.
But this is a bit of a struggle as many students are feeling bored and missing out on social interaction with their friends. One mum mentioned that her son had planned on going on a summer volunteering school trip in Uganda – and him having to cancel this along with not being able to see friends have been highly frustrating. Other students are worried about their predicted grades and next steps. On top of that, hearing the constant news around coronavirus can cause more anxiety.
So, what can you do to look after your health during the coronavirus lockdown?
Coronavirus how to look after your mental health
Below are seven tips to help you look after your health during these challenging times.
- Look at the bigger picture
If you’ve had your GCSE exams cancelled, you’ve probably spent some time grieving and expressing disappointment or even anger at the situation. Now is time to look at the bigger picture. By shutting down schools and cancelling exams, we are helping to save lives. In the long run, this will be good for the entire country so that we can all get back to some sort of normalcy. So, you can look at it like you are doing a great deal of good for mankind.
2. Connect with your friends online
Fortunately, thanks to advances in technology, you can catch up with your friends in a way that makes it seem like they are in the same room as you. Use popular video software like Skype, Zoom and WhatsApp to connect with your friends. Find out how they are doing and spend some time gossiping about what’s happening at home.
3. Get regular exercise
Try to get some form of exercise everyday. Search for exercise routines on YouTube, find the ones you like and follow along at home. If you need to get some fresh air, go out into your garden if you have one or go outside for a 30 minutes’ walk. The government guidance says that you are allowed to leave your house for one form of exercise every day. Just make sure you keep two meters away from others around, you. [1]
4. Do the things you love
Now is the time to do all the things you love that you’ve been putting aside so that you can focus on your revision. Want to learn Karate? Why not look for some Karate moves on YouTube and spend some time focusing on that daily. Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t got around to? Now’s the time. What about Netflix? There’s so much on there. I highly recommend comedy just to take your mind of things.
5. Spend time with your family
In today’s busy world, it can be hard to find time for family. Whether it’s because parents are working long shifts or you’re distracted on social media. This can have some negative consequences on our family life. So, look at this as an opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones at home. Help your parents with tidying up and washing the dishes. Help younger siblings with their home-schooling. And make time to have dinner together with the rest of the family.
6. Don’t get fixed on the news
Also, on a positive note, you don’t have to focus on all those subjects you don’t like. If you like arts, why not make some art? Is science your favourite subject? Then there are tons of homeschool science activities you can do.
7. Continue learning at home
Schools being closed does not mean that learning ceases. You can still continue to brush up on your knowledge or read ahead. there are several homeschool resources you can use for this. If you find you need more support to cover specific subjects consider online tutoring. You can get taught online by a qualified teacher who knows the curriculum and can take you through it step by step.
Conclusion: Coronavirus and your mental health
The coronavirus situation has been a huge inconvenience for many of us. It is a something we are all new to and many families have been thrown in the deep end. As we learn to adjust many of us may need to pay extra attention to our mental health. Thankfully our advances in technology mean we can still continue lives with some normalcy. We can keep in touch with families and friends or have fitness classes online. We can also continue to learn via an array of resources or online tutoring.
