It is no surprise that the pandemic has changed the lives of many, and has made us realize what matters most in life. Our well-being being somewhere at the top of that list. Uncertain times means making sure to keep your mental and physical well-being in check in order for you to not only help yourself, but others as well.

We talked with Alexander Burgemeester, a Neuro-Psycholigist and owner of The Narcissistic Life, about how you can keep yourself emotionally and physically fit during difficult times.

Be more mindful.

Being mindful is more than just adding meditation into your everyday routine. It also means being more present and grounded and allowing you to slow down and enjoy smaller moments. This can help to calm your racing thoughts and reduce levels of anxiety. 

Being more mindful also helps you to not focus so much on the past and future as this is a very exhausting way of living. Being in the moment helps you to enjoy your life more and allows you to pinpoint exactly what is important to you in life. It helps you to accomplish more goals and set realistic expectations for yourself whether it be at work or simply in life. During times of uncertainty, being mindful puts you in the driver’s seat where you can choose the next steps.

Increase your social game. 

It is no secret that being social is a large part of maintaining healthy relationships and decreasing feelings of loneliness. And throughout the pandemic, we saw how not being able to socialize as much affected us as human beings. 

Thankfully we now have technology that allows us to reach people from all over the world and even see their faces through the tiny screens of our phones or computers. Having this small amount of interaction increases our happiness and has been seen to also increase our lifespan. If you can find a safe way to interact online with others, it will help you be more social – even if limited by distance.

Being able to open up to someone and share happy or sad news helps us to cope and make it through life much easier than if we were to do it all alone. Remaining social and making friends keeps us motivated and makes us look forward to the future.

Find something you are passionate about.

Many people who partake in activities or go to work are doing so out of necessity and not necessarily because they are very passionate about it. Although this is very normal, it is important to also think about what you can do in life that brings you happiness.  

Being passionate about something helps you to be happier overall as you are doing something that you love. There is no heavy weight from stress or anxiety when you are passionate about doing something. 

Picking up new hobbies, cooking more or joining a club can all be ways of fueling a passion. This helps in darker times as you are able to do something that you know will instantly boost your mood. This brings you greater peace of mind and it also gives you something to look forward to. 

Move your body!

One of the most important things you can do for yourself to improve your mental and physical well-being is to keep yourself active. Physical activity has been proven to help mitigate the risk of developing heart disease by decreasing blood pressure and bad cholesterol. It can also help you to maintain a healthy body weight, and overall can simply make you feel good.

Being active does not always mean over exerting yourself in a gym. It is about moving your body in a way that feels good and helps you to expend some energy. Many people choose to go for long walks or use a standing or walking desk in their office. Fitness equipment has advanced over the last number of years and can be delivered right to your door using a site like Barbell Jack. If that’s not your thing, it can also mean playing with your kids at a playground or throwing around a football in your backyard. 

Any kind of movement has been proven to decrease negative thoughts and in fact releases dopamine and serotonin in your brain, which makes you feel happy. Being active is a necessary step in improving overall well-being and helps tremendously in times of uncertainty.

Maintaining someone’s physical and mental well-being can look a lot different from person to person. Overall however, it is all about finding what works best for you and maybe incorporating some of these tips along the way can help.