positive mindset Archives

June 2, 2021 By Rachna Sharma 3 Comments

Mental Health Tips To Cope With COVID Anxiety

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. It’s normal to feel anxious and worried during a national crisis as we don’t know how long it will last and how it will impact our lives. This feeling can be quite stressful and overwhelming. One major reason could be social distancing, although necessary, it can make us feel isolated, lonely and may increase stress. To add to it, the COVID anxiety, wherein we’re in constant fear of contracting the virus. These factors can take a huge toll on our mental health.

This stress can affect our health in different ways:

Disturbed sleep
Eating a lot or eating very less
Excess use of tobacco or pan masala
Drinking alcohol more than usual to avoid stress and boredom
Feeling loneliness and helpless

Tips To Cope With COVID Anxiety

While there might not be a lot you can do to control the situation, here are a few things you can do to preserve your mental health and cope with COVID anxiety.

Try to control the things which are in your hand, rather than focusing on the things which you can’t control – Do not think about the shortage of oxygen cylinders or medication. Think how you can make yourself more healthy so you don’t need an oxygen cylinder and medication to recover. Eat healthy, exercise regularly and work on improving your sleep.
Structure your day and make time for yourself. It’s important to make time for activities you enjoy. Do what you like most like painting, cooking, playing games or an instrument, and so on.
Make a list of your worries, write it down on a paper and try to write down possible solutions for each worry. It can facilitate problem solving and reduce anxiety.
Limit checking updates on COVID-19 in news and social media as the more your mind focuses on worst case scenarios, the more anxious you will feel.
Try to connect through a video call with your friends and family members who you have not visited for a long time. It will work as a tonic for your mental health.
Practice Mindfulness, which in essence, translates to living in the present moment with acceptance and without judgment
Try breathing in lavender or scented candles. The smell of lavender, sandalwood, orange, jasmine and rose have calming properties and it stimulates the part of the brain which controls our mood.

If COVID anxiety is getting the better of you, seek out professional help. You don’t have to do this alone. If you are experiencing an escalation of anxiety, ask knowledgeable people who can assist you through this difficult time. Most importantly, don’t lose hope. Things always get better with time!

We hope this article helps you. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more on managing COVID-19, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. To get these tips and support directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe to personalized coaching now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce

May 11, 2021 By Pradnya Shinde 1 Comment

Panicked Due To The Pandemic? You Need To Know This!

There must be few people you know who have been affected by COVID-19 during this global pandemic. Maybe you have gone through this too. Maybe you are experiencing few symptoms. You might have witnessed a few unfortunate deaths around you. This is like one of those sci-fi movies gone real. Everyone is talking about it and it’s terrible!

How You Can Avoid Panic During The Pandemic

As humans, we crave for stability and we are facing this uncertainty for more than a year now. Are you wondering when it will all end? Do we even see an end in sight? How do we deal with it?

Change Your Mindset!

The stress can cause frustration, worry, fear, helplessness, lack of hunger, overeating, tiredness, sleeping too much, headache, nightmares or the inability to focus on work. If you are overwhelmed due to this pandemic situation, let me tell you that you need to overcome this. When you panic, your body responds in the same way. If this is the battle, then half the battle is lost when you panic. When your mind gives up, then slowly your body gives up.

Everyone has suffered a cold and blocked nose at some point or the other in their life. And you experience breathlessness in such times. People with Asthma deal with breathlessness many times. Before the pandemic, you used to get cold, cough and fever, but you didn’t think that you would die. Then there’s no need to think that way now. I am not suggesting that you ignore the symptoms or your health. By now everyone knows what they need to do for their safety. I Am not repeating here. I am talking about the mindset. How you deal with this mentally and emotionally is important.

You can get the information you need but stop binge watching news channels and be conscious of what you read, watch and listen. You can make a habit to get the update at a specific time from a trusted source only. Other times, keep yourself involved in something meaningful.

If you get a cough, start a treatment or medicine for the cough. You can talk to your coach for a nice home remedy. If things get worse and you need to get admitted in the hospital, let me repeat, the first thing you need to do is stay strong emotionally.

What Can You Do Now?

Let’s start working for the things which are in our hands. Your immunity is so much more important right now than ever before. Cut down sugar slowly from your diet. Sugar has inflammation enhancing properties. It supports more mucus production in the body, which increases the chances of you getting infected easily. When I say sugar, I mean sugar from tea, coffee, biscuits, desserts, ketchup and all kinds of packaged food. It’s difficult but start making changes one by one. Taking action for better health is much better than taking stress.

Regular exercise will help to beat the anxiety. Work to improve your lung capacity. If you have a habit of smoking, please stop it. Breathing exercises are a great way to improve your lung function. You can breathe better. Spend a good time for meditation regularly. It will reduce your anxiety. If you are not fond of it, then indulge in any of your hobbies, which you can pursue at home.

You will help a lot as an individual by NOT spreading fear. Stop discussing the topic with ten people. Don’t forward random whatsapp messages. Stay calm and keep calm. If possible, provide emotional support to those who are going through it. If you can help them in any means it would be great. We are physically apart, but you can stay connected with your loved ones like friends and family through calls or video calls. Provide the emotional support. Having a conversation with friends and family will help to reduce your stress.

Remember that we’re all in this together. So remain calm, observe your body and stay strong. More so, you can also self monitor using the GOQii Smart Vital which checks body temperature, SpO2, heart rate and blood pressure – basically all the vital parameters that could alert you if something is wrong. Till then, there’s no need to panic!

For more COVID-related articles, you can check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. Furthermore, you can subscribe to GOQii and get the right guidance from a certified expert: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce

April 9, 2021 By Pallavi Barnwal Leave a Comment

Sexual Confidence: How To Find Yours?

I wonder if there is any other topic than sex that is surrounded by so many complicated and mixed notions. It can be as simple as an erotic act and as complex as our deep-set desires and beliefs. In a world where sex is either served wrapped in toxic messages such as it is sinful and wrong, or packaged in dehumanizing portrayal in the form of porn, how does one build sexual confidence? How do you rid yourself of shame and become sexually liberated?

How Can You Build Sexual Confidence?

There is no simple answer to these questions. Sexual confidence isn’t about being up for anything and increasing your ‘score’ of sexual partners. It’s about knowing yourself, your wants and desires, your boundaries and the ability to communicate them. Your sexual self-esteem cannot be built upon something that has been taught to you or fed to you by someone else. You need to figure it out on your own and here are a few tips to begin with the process:

Get to Know Yourself: Sounds simple, right? Only if it really was. Based on your experiences, list what you like and what you don’t about your sexuality. Then dig deeper – think about the reason for those likes and dislikes. Based on these, set your own boundaries, so you know when someone oversteps or when it’s time to open a dialogue.
Get To Know Your Body: Are you comfortable looking at your naked body in the mirror? Look at your body and internalize that the mainstream definition of sexy isn’t really true. You can’t be confident until you’re comfortable with your body. Exercise, keep your body fit and healthy and listen to it to understand it.
Fire Up Your Imagination: It’s difficult to be confident about sex when you are not sure what you like and dislike. Begin with yourself first. Read some erotica, watch something sexy, explore and pleasure yourself. Sexual confidence stems from the awareness that the key to your sexual power lies with you. This is crucial for women – before you hand over the responsibility of pleasing you to someone else, make sure you know how to do that yourself.
Discover Your Sexual Script: We are conditioned by our families, society, media and friends about sex. Unlearn all of it and figure it out on your own. Let your experiences define your sexual script. If you are faced with sexual blockages or disturbed by certain experiences, reach out to someone you can talk to. Don’t let others define your story and take the control back.
Learn to Communicate: A 2017 study found that heterosexual women get fewer orgasms than everyone else. One of the primary reasons cited was that women aren’t vocal about their desires or pleasures. Women suffer from the cultural conditioning that instructs them to please and submit to a man’s desire. You have to take charge of changing that. Most of the men are misinformed about female desire and you need to take the control by explicitly stating if something is or isn’t working, or something you like and you want more. If you can’t articulate your needs, keep in mind that no-one else is going to do it for you.

All of us carry some amount of sexual shame. Slowly and gradually, with self-awareness and mindful sexual practices, we can unburden ourselves of this shame and find our sexual selves. Take it one step at a time and begin moving towards experiencing joy and connection in bed with sexual confidence.

We hope this article on Building Sexual Confidence helps you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more articles by our Sexual Wellness Expert Pallavi Barnwal, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to her LIVE sessions on GOQii Play. You can also connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pallavibarnwalcoach

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: Reader discretion is advised. This content is for an older, mature audience who seek to improve their health and wellness. GOQii is not responsible for any misrepresentation of this information.

June 3, 2020 By Dr. Vaidya's 1 Comment

Stressed Out? Natural Ways To Manage Stress During Lockdown

It is normal to feel sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry during an epidemic outbreak. Hearing constant reports about the illness and death caused by the outbreak world over can be hard to take. But even amid the pandemic, it is important to make sure that you take care of your physical and mental health. We must cope with the stress and anxiety that the pandemic brings. Stress and anxiety can trigger ailments such as insomnia, depression, high blood pressure and more. It may also lead to an imbalance of the three doshas; vata, pitta and kapha in the body, depending on an individual’s constitution. Here are some ayurvedic tips that can help you manage stress and anxiety during this time period:

How To Manage Stress During Lockdown

Eat right and hydrate well: Eat foods that help you relax. Choose foods that help reduce stress. All fresh fruits, lightly cooked, spiced vegetables and whole grains will revive your tired mind and body. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to flush out any disease-causing toxic matter from your system. You can also add some calming teas like peppermint or chamomile to your daily diet. Use this time to get restful sleep of 7-8 hours – this can also drastically reduce stress and anxiety.
Exercise is a good way to de-stress: Yoga is a great way to exercise all parts of your body, while also soothing nerves and balancing the mind. Some of the yoga poses that can be practised are child’s pose, bridge pose, standing forward bend pose, eagle pose, extended triangle pose and extended puppy pose (you can find explanations and demonstrations of each of these poses online). Simple pranayama exercises can also help restore vitality to the energy channels of the body, release tension, and offer support to the mind and the nervous system.
Create a sense of structure and routine in daily life: At the most fundamental level, our physiology is very much adapted to and supported by some sense of regularity. This is precisely why the daily routine is such good medicine for anxiety. The routine itself has a very grounding and stabilizing effect on the system; it creates several familiar and comforting reference points throughout the day. This, in turn, sends an affirmation to the body that all is well and we can be at ease. Adopting a daily routine is also an act of love and self-care. Our routines provide us with opportunities to take care of our health and well-being, despite what else might be going on in our lives. While one is at home, try and keep a routine like one is actually going to the office. Don’t stay in pyjamas all day, eat at the same time and schedule the day with virtual meetings like you would at the office. These seem like inane steps but really help.
Meditation: Meditation, even if practised for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, and relax the mind. It consists of the silent repetition of a word, sound, or phrase while sitting quietly with eyes closed and a good posture for 10 to 20 minutes. This should be done in a quiet place to get rid of any distractions. Sitting is preferred to lying down to avoid falling asleep. Relax your muscles and breathe through your nose naturally. During a meditation session, all worries and thoughts should be dismissed by focusing on the word, sound or phrase.
Abhyanga: Abhyanga or self-oil massage utilizes the absorbing properties of the skin to not only nourish but also provide a healing and calming effect on the mind and body. Daily massage with natural oils like sesame, coconut, almond, tea tree, etc pacifies all the doshas to provide relief from fatigue, stress, and promote peaceful sleep.
Avoid unhelpful coping strategies: Habits like drinking alcohol and smoking may not help cope with stress and anxiety. They not only harm you physically but can also increase levels of stress and anxiety and reduce immunity. It is better to avoid such practices.

Staying in touch with near and dear ones can also help reduce anxiety and promote positive thoughts and environment around you. During these difficult times, we must take care of our physical and mental health and take preventative measures like practising personal hygiene and social distancing till the tide passes over. We hope everybody stays safe and healthy! This too shall pass.

We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips on managing stress, tune in to our emotional wellness experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, manage stress and #BeTheForce