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Coronavirus: How To Look After Your Mental Health

If you’re feeling disorientated waking up to a world that is constantly changing, you are not alone – but Life Hacks' Dr. Radha has four tips to help you settle into your new routine.

In a series of Life Hacks podcast specials, Katie Thistleton and Dr. Radha are going give practical advice and coping strategies, as well as ways to look out for each other over the coming weeks.

Dr. Radha says now, more than ever, we need to practice self-care as everyone is in "survival mode".

She explained how: "It kicks into this emotional part of our brain, which is all-around survival, which then releases those hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, stress hormones, which react in our bodies to make us feel physically anxious."

"When we can see a threat or it's tangible, it helps because we can do something about it, or get away from it. When we can’t see it, it seeps into our subconscious, which increases that anxiety."

"In this situation, we can’t take that threat away, but we can do things to reduce it."

Below Dr. Radha tells us where to go for the latest advice, as well as four ways to build a new routine.

And if there is something in particular you would like discussed on the podcast regarding coronavirus, please get in touch via lifehacks@bbc.co.uk or on Twitter using the hashtag #LifeHacksPodcast.

1 | Take control

Your health comes first and Dr Radha says, “start by focusing on the things you can control, which will reduce the chance of you getting that virus”.

Routine, habit, and structure are going to make us feel like we are back in control
Dr Radha

You can check the , and the , both of which are updated on a regular basis.

You can also register for .

And then day to day, go back to basics. For starters, what does your new week look like? And who are you chatting to? Just because you can’t meet up with your mates, it doesn’t mean you can’t have dinner or watch a film together over video chat.

“We can control what time we get up, that we have a shower every day, we get dressed at the same time every day, that we eat well, and, if we can, get some exercise, and connect with someone every single day - maybe choose two or three buddies to chat to online.”

“I know that sounds very structured and rigid, but routine, habit, and structure are going to make us feel like we are back in control.”

There are plenty of ways of doing what you love, you just need to work out how and when. And as you will have already figured, livestreams are your new best friend.

2 | Write a list

You know all that life admin you’ve been meaning to get round to? Or that one thing you’ve been telling everyone you’d love to try for the past couple of months? Now is the time to write a list, but don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Katie Thistleton added how, “acceptance is key in any situation.”

“There will be lots of people who are having to accept my wedding isn’t going to happen this year, my exams aren’t going to happen this year, but I can still have a great year and be happy.”

Dr Radha added: “It’s accepting this has been taken out of my control, but what can I do to still be happy?”

Take a moment to think about one thing you would like to achieve over the coming weeks. It doesn’t matter whether it’s big or small, it could be signing up to a , or decluttering your wardrobe. Just name something that will be satisfying to complete.

3 | Remember to switch off

Dr Radha says: “Step away from anything that makes you feel anxious and sets off those physical anxiety symptoms”.

Our brains can only cope with so much
Dr Radha

There's so much information coming at you from all angles, so make sure you take breaks – from social media or the news.

"Our brains can only cope with so much. We understand the situation, and we’ve learned as much as we can about the virus, and hopefully, more will be discovered, and we know what to do in terms of basic precautions, and then after that is 'perhaps I need to take a break'."

And it's also worth remembering “this is a marathon, not a sprint”, she says.

“We need to preserve our mental health and keep our spirits up because we need that resilience to cope with whatever challenge comes, and without sleeping properly, or eating properly, or feeling anxious, we won’t have that reserve to deal with things when they happen.”

We’ve all seen some amazing random acts of kindness the past couple of weeks, and actually, another way of taking a break might be to focus on someone or something else.

“When you think of others you forget yourself, and it helps to forget your worries and anxiety, even though it might be temporary, and they may come back, it gives you some space to get from your thoughts, which can be quite intrusive and repetitive.”

4 | Don鈥檛 lose sight of the positives

Chances are you know someone on lockdown abroad. It’s happening all around the world, we are all in this together, and it’s reminding everyone just how important kindness is.

Also, have you considered how it could just change how we approach things going forward?

“When we come out of this, we are going to have so many potential ways of being creative and flexible, and our level of gratitude is going to be sky-high. That’s a lesson we are all learning.”

If there is something in particular you would like discussed on the podcast regarding coronavirus, please get in touch via lifehacks@bbc.co.uk or on Twitter using the hashtag #LifeHacksPodcast.