mental health Archives

May 1, 2020 By Geetika Patni 2 Comments

How To Maintain Emotional Wellness in Lockdown

The Coronavirus pandemic seemed far away from us until a few weeks ago and now, it has created intense volatility in every aspect of our life. With uncertainty looming, the general sense of fear is widespread. It is imperative to maintain emotional wellness now!

But before I get into the topic, let me narrate a story:

Once Shri Krishna and Balrama were passing through a jungle full of fierce animals and demons. Suddenly from nowhere, a demon sprung in front of them. It gazed its eyes upon Balrama.

Balrama asked him, “Who are you?”

The Demon replied, “I am a demon the size of your fear”.

Hearing this, Balrama got petrified and the more he feared, the bigger the demon grew. Finally, when he could handle no more, Balrama fainted. Now the demon turned towards Shri Krishna, yelling at him “I am a demon the size of your fear”. Shri Krishna did not bother and continued to play his flute. The demon turned smaller and smaller until it vanished.

Tips to Maintain Emotional Wellness

Yes, the time is uncertain and yes, there can be a number of reasons to worry or fear all day. But fear/worry and anxiety are negative emotions. They make us vulnerable and lower our immunity, the same immunity which will keep us safe from the infection so prevalent all around.

So let your faith conquer over your fear in these uncertain times. Hence, I request you to prioritise your current time to:

Relax: Stay away from constant news updates. Instead, invest your free time in music, dance, painting or anything that you like.
Believe in the power of positive emotions such as kindness, honesty and contentment. Meditate once a day to feel the power of these positive emotions.
Open up: Do not bottle yourself up. Speaking your thoughts out loud, sharing what goes on in your mind helps to release the tension from within. Share your thoughts with your GOQii coach if need be.
Stay in the company of positive people or be the positive influencer for people around you.
Accept and Let Go: When it gets really tough, breathe deeply, use the mantra “this too shall pass”, to make yourself resilient and accepting.

I hope and sincerely do, you will not let yourself be vulnerable, neither physically nor emotionally! If you need to talk to someone, reach out to a close friend or your GOQii Coach or Expert. We are here to help you!

For sessions on emotional health and how to remain calm during these times, you can also tune in to sessions on emotional wellness on GOQii Play.

April 23, 2020 By Urvi Gohil Leave a Comment

Tips To Get Rid of the Lockdown Boredom!

Right now, you’re probably experiencing a lot of boredom being in lockdown for this long. No doubt that we’re all dealing with it the best way we can as most of us aren’t used to being idle at home. Another way to look at this is that you get to spend more time with family! So, instead of getting anxious about this situation, let’s see how we can turn all that idle time into something productive!

8 Ideas To Drive Away The Lockdown Boredom

Start Your Skincare Routine: Instead of staring at screens all day, give your eyes some rest and your skin some relaxation! Try out homemade masks, ice packs, scrubs 3-4 times a week or intensify your night skin routine.
Cover Your Sleep Debt and take more rest. Sleep for an extra hour and you can ask everyone at home to do the same. If you’re wondering what sleep debt is, read this article: https://goqii.com/blog/tips-to-sleep-better/
Awaken Your Inner Chef: Trust me, it’s a pleasurable experience. If you want some easy, healthy recipes, check out the articles we’ve published so far on Healthy Reads. Take charge of the kitchen and toss up something yummy!
Tune In to Tune Out: Update your music playlist and move to the groove while doing your household chores. Have an instrument lying around? Pick it up and learn to play! We’re going to be starting some music classes on GOQii Play so keep an eye and ear out for that.
Game More: Playing cards, housie, name-place-animal-thin, antakshari, karaoke – the possibilities are endless when you think of it. Nothing like the good old games to bring your family together and drive away the boredom clouds of gloom!
Re-arrange Your Cupboard: Cupboards are never too tidy. Probably iron your clothes, separate old and new clothes. Keep aside some clothes which you think you can donate. It will keep you occupied and help you declutter for sure!
Meditate! Meditate! Meditate: Say Aum from your Home! Organize a family meditation hour. You can tune in to GOQii’s Guided Meditation feature in the app or follow our experts on GOQii Play for a session full of bliss, relaxation and who knows – possibly enlightenment too! You can also practice Pranayama and other Breathing Techniques.
Develop a Healthy Habit: Working on ourselves is a continuous process. It’s the right time to develop a healthy habit or discontinue a bad one. Probably you could start reading, do a mobile detox or take your home workouts to the next level.

There are many ways you can beat boredom at home. What are you doing to keep boredom away? Let us know in the comments below.

For more on nutrition, exercise, meditation and recipes – in fact, most of the tips above can all be found on GOQii Play. Download the app now!

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce

April 17, 2020 By Sunita Arora Leave a Comment

Top 5 Brain-Boosting Snacks For A Productive Workday!

With enough experience of working from home, I’m sure most of us have definitely gotten used to it. But there are days when you’re a little slow, lethargic or just not focused enough to push through all the work that’s on your plate. Well, don’t worry, it is just a matter of eating the right food! Try these awesome brain-boosting snacks which will improve your memory, focus and concentration while working or even studying!

Top 5 Brain-Boosting Snacks

Nuts: It’s ironic that while referring to someone we perceive as insanely stupid, we call them a nut. While, on the contrary, nuts actually make us more intelligent. They are the powerhouse of omega-3, omega -6, and Vitamin-E! They improve brain functions and help prevent cognitive decline, especially in older adults. Eating nuts as a snacking option is good for your brain as well as for the heart. Eat a fistful of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, peanuts) instead of munching unhealthy biscuits, chips, namkeen, etc. during your tea break at home. Do check with your doctor before you do, in case you’re allergic to nuts.
Pumpkin Seeds: are richer in zinc among other seeds. These seeds include other valuable nutrients like magnesium, copper, and iron which enhance memory and reduce stress. They are the precursor to the good mood chemical called serotonin and contain very powerful antioxidants that protect the brain from free radicals. Toss them with your nuts or sprinkle over salads, soup, smoothies, etc.
Blueberries: are my favourite! They provide numerous health benefits for our brain. They are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich, which helps improve communication among brain cells and improves brain memory. Many studies have suggested that the consumption of blueberries may be effective in improving or delaying short-term memory loss. You can also add blueberries in your breakfast cereal, smoothies, etc.
Whole Eggs: are great for brain power as they are a rich source of several nutrients that are linked with brain health. Many brain-boosting compounds like choline, vitamin B6 and B12 are found in eggs. Hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs are a wonderful snack option in the evening for busy workdays.
Dark Chocolates: are packed with brain-boosting compounds like flavonoids – which boost memory and mood. As a well-known brain food and mood booster, it’s no wonder that people who eat dark chocolate experience increased positive feelings and better performance in mental tasks. Have it any time you feel unhappy, low, depressed or find yourself in between excess work pressure and don’t forget to share it with your loved ones. Remember though – moderation is key!

All the above brain-boosting snacks are not fried. Avoid nuts with salt. These can easily be consumed and are available as well! So let’s boost brain power and make working from home more effective and enjoyable!

For more tips on nutrition, do visit GOQii Play and learn from experts!

Stay home, stay safe, eat right and #BeTheForce

February 12, 2020 By Navnee Garg 1 Comment

What Anorexia Nervosa Can Do To You Or Someone You Love

Following healthy habits is good. It’s always nice to have a plan for healthy eating and follow it steadily with discipline. But what happens when you overindulge in a dieting plan? As we all know, anything in excess is bad and the same goes for dieting or having an unhealthy obsession with losing weight which may make one do things that can cause more damage than good. Having said that, I’d like to highlight an eating disorder that I recently came across called Anorexia Nervosa.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder which is characterized by low body weight, fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight. This means that despite having normal body weight, these people feel that they are overweight, or even if they will eat a bite extra, they feel that they will suddenly gain weight. So they prefer being on a very low calorie diet, prefer restricted foods, focusing excessively on the portion they eat. They also try to control their weight by vomiting after eating, or misusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics or even enemas. At times, they also try to lose weight by excessive exercising just post consuming meals.

Nervosa is not about calorie counting, it is more about one’s psychological aspect which can be extremely dangerous or even life threatening to try to cope up with emotional distress. Anorexic people often tend to equate thinness with self worth.

What Are The Symptoms?

The most evident physical symptom of Nervosa is Starvation, and let us not confuse it with conscious eating. Apart from it, it also includes some emotional and behavioural issues which include unrealistic perception of one’s own body in terms of being fat or fear of gaining weight.

It is difficult to notice the signs and symptoms among the people, but there are few alarming signs which can be noticed by near and dear ones like low body weight, or thin appearance, abnormal blood counts, fatigue, dizziness, and insomnia, thinning of hair, blue discoloration of fingers, irregular bowel movements, irregular heart rhythms, and dehydration.

Also some emotional and behavioural symptoms would include:

Skipping meals or refusing to eat
Making excuses like denial for hunger, or unwell
Avoiding to eat in public
Social withdrawal
Irritability and Insomnia

Diagnosis

Though it is difficult to diagnose Anorexia Nervosa at an early stage, the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has set diagnosis criteria for people prone to being Anorexic.

Restricted calorie intake as per the requirement of the body in terms of age, height, gender and physical health.
Misconception of being overweight, despite being actually underweight.
A full medical history can also help to reach the outcome

Treatment and Recovery

Treatment includes some medications, nutritional counseling, psychotherapy and family counseling as well which would depend on one’s level of being anorexic. Generally people refuse to accept that they fall in the category but a proper counseling session can help one recover soon.

There is no harm in Being Picky about putting food in your mouth, but this should be done in certain limits by working on calorie counting, or choosing the healthiest option and not in excessive fear to gain weight. The body needs fuel as well to work its system out. The correct way to lose weight is by eating healthy and exercising regularly, and not “DIETING”. Long term anorexia nervosa can lead to serious medical issues like low bone density, anemia, or some gastrointestinal issues as well.

So, if you feel any such symptoms, or you know someone prone to it, do share the article with them, and we at GOQii are always there to help you recover in whatever best way possible.

Did you find this article helpful? Do leave your thoughts and queries in the comments below and do share it on the GOQii Arena in the GOQii app with your friends!

#BeTheForce