In Part 2 - COVID-19 Life, I wanted to explore different ways we can access support for ourselves, from home, that didn’t entail speaking to a professional. This is the time to find and explore free apps and platforms that have a positive focus to help you figure out what will help your mental health right now. In this new strange world, we are directed to stay home and stay away from others, but we still need to focus on our mental and physical health. I will include different ways to discover how to care for your mind. 

Listen to calming music 

The song “Weightless” by Marconi Union is widely considered the most calming song in the world. It has been viewed over 7.5 million times on YouTube, and the song has even been part of scientific research study on how people feel while listening to this track. Listen to the soundtrack while you explore the links on this blog. If you want to hear more relaxing songs, here is an article ranking the Top 10 most relaxing songs. If the science says music helps us relax, then let’s turn it up!

Exploring different apps 

Who else loves using different apps? Why not if it’s free,and bonus if it’s useful to help our mental health. 

Calm offers meditations for beginners, which is nice because you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by a new activity. It will help you focus on your sleep patterns and guide you in improving your quality of sleep. There’s several other features to explore once you get the app.

Headspace is alsos a very popular app to help you “train your brain” to enhance your inner peace, mental health and overall quality of life. The idea is to use it daily to reduce the way you handle stress or other difficulties that you experience in regards to your mental health. Here is a list of other mindfulness apps that you can explore to see which would interest you. 

Finding mental health podcasts to help you feel less isolated right now

Mental Illness Happy Hour is a podcast hosted by Paul Gilmartin, who interviews mental health professionals, comedians and celebrities about topics such as trauma, mental illness, therapy, addictions and healing. It is reassuring to hear other people’s experiences in regards to trauma and how we process difficulties. There are so many podcasts to access, and you can quickly discover what the episodes are about to pick which ones interest you. 

The Happiness Lab, a podcast hosted by Psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos, wants listeners to realize small steps they can use to control their own happiness throughout their day. Her methods are backed by scientific research regarding the link between human behaviour and emotions. As a Professor at Yale, she has a popular course called “Psychology and the good life” and shares inspirational stories from others. On her website she asks, “Are you ready to feel better?”!

Taking advantage of free workout apps

It’s easy to melt into your couch or bed and ignore your physical health needs. It’s not about getting “ripped,” but maybe this is the time to get moving to feel better physically and emotionally. There are so many free workouts to choose from right now, but here is one to check out today.

The Nike Training Club app is not about having a sweat-inducing, out of breath workout to get in the ‘best shape of your life’. No, this free app from Nike offers stretching sessions (which is so needed after a day of not using our body) and guided workouts for every level. From experience, when you are jumping into a new workout routine, make sure to take it easy so you aren’t incredibly sore for days afterwards! Baby steps are highly recommended to reduce injury, and always be sure to stretch before and after a workout. 

This “Covid-19 Life” blog series is our way of offering to our readers resources to use as outlets to access if you need it and are feeling overwhelmed with the state of this pandemic. Writing these blogs are helping us discover what is out there for our own mental health as well, which has been fascinating. I’m always thinking in the back of my mind “what would I want to read about right now or try out, that would help me?”. My top suggestion for everyone is to stick to a morning routine to start your day off right and get focused about your intention for the day. It might seem like routine is the last thing to worry about, but beginning your day on a positive note will help you deal with whatever comes up. Make a relaxing space in your home where you can unwind and don’t be afraid to take naps, those are always calming. xo - Marnie