Mental health is as important as physical well being. While there are simple guidelines on how to stay safe and healthy physically – stay at home, wash your hands, seek medical help if ill – advice on what to do if stressed and anxious are overlooked. In times like this when adults with years of experience behind them are finding it difficult to remain calm, young students are having a tough time too.
With exams cancelled but pending, classes suspended but academic year started, and the looming uncertainty of entrance exams, and in some cases pass or fail in class, students are getting increasingly stressed out.
Here is a list of things to do remain calm during the quarantine, and global pandemic situation.
Now more than ever it is important to bond with your family. All working members of your family are at home, your siblings are here too. Maybe some of your grandparents or uncles and aunts are also at home. Sit down with them, talk to them, get to know about their life. Spend more time with your family, help your mother, have conversations with your father! Take it as a cognitive therapy. Your stress will eventually subside steadily and slowly with the help of this step.
Play multi player games to connect with your friends. If you are a fan of PUBG (or COC, or any else), out on your earphones, and start playing it with your friends. It will feel like they are just there with you, besides you.
If you are not a great fan of fast paced games, and are missing your friends die-heartedly, then you can spend time virtually with them by playing board games with them that too online. There are games like Ludo, Snakes and Ladders and many more available on both android and IOS app store where in you can create a room and start playing.
Read, read and read! If you have become bored of reading your textbooks then you can now shift your focus towards your favourite genre of novels. Even if you do not have one, you can always get them from internet. Archive.org is one such great place where a lot of books are available for free, Reading enhances our senses and also brushes up our vocabulary.
Also, don’t forget to check out the education portals launched by state governments to stay up to date with your curriculum. Like Banglar Shiksha Portal in West Bengal, Swayam Sidham Himachal Pradesh.
Play share your art games. So, this is a really fun game where in you can share raw lines and ask your friends to create artwork out of it. Believe us, this is really really a stress buster because people create really funny caricature out of it. Plus, you can also brush up your artwork skills through it. Pun intended.
Connect over video calls. You certainly cannot go and meet your friends or favorite aunt and uncle amid this COVID-19 crisis. So, just talk with your loved ones with the help of video conferencing through your phone. You can either make whatsapp calls, skype them or facetime them.
Spend time with pets. This is the best time for your pets because they are getting 24 hours of being with you everyday. So, make them feel more happy and play them with. Teach them skills, feed them good food and play with for atleast 30 minutes in a day.
Play fun games with your family members. Everyone is freaking out a little bit. Maybe you can lower everyone’s anxiety by involving them in a fun game that a family can play together. You can spend time with your family by playing Tambola or cards. Please remember that social distancing is the most important tool to end this pandemic from reaching the third stage in our nation. Hence, play games with your family. These games are also available virtually.
These are the times of tests! We need be together and fight this pandemic! Staying positive is important. Being kids you also need to take care of your parents. Hence, do not loose hope and pay attention to what has been said, wash your hands and stay safe!
