Unite Health's tips on how to boost your mood whilst in ISO

Maintaining well-being during forced isolation can be tricky. Humans are by nature social animals so being forced to stay at home with minimal interaction with others is no doubt going to be tough on all of us. Here are a few tips the staff at Unite Health are doing during this time to help boost their moods. We hope they can help you too. 

Daily meditation

Meditation is a practice where an individual uses various techniques such as Mindfulness to focus their attention and awareness toward a single point of reference (e.g the breath). 

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way:  on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally” Jon Kabat-Zinn

How will this help boost your mood? The benefits are countless. Mindfulness meditation can improve cognitive functioning, can reduce stress, and can lead to more meaningful relationships and greater contentment. There are loads of free resources online including Headspace, Insight Timer and Smiling Mind. 

Regular exercise 

This one is a no brainer. We all know the benefits of exercise to the body and the mind. Research suggests that 30 to 60 minutes a day of exercise can boost your mood in addition to making your body healthier. We understand it can be tricky to go to your local gym or classes at the moment. Unite Health offers a range of APPI Pilates classes online developed by Physiotherapists so you can be assured that you are practising safe Pilates movement. 

View our full range of online classes HERE

Sleep

Sleep is a crucial component to daily health. But with increased screen time, work pressures and stress we can all get too little of it. Research has shown us that sleep increases immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions. Practising good sleep hygiene can help get a restful nights sleep - so remember to avoid caffeine and screens before bed and limit alcohol.  

Being socially connected

Being socially connected has many health benefits, including boosting your immune system. But we are being asked to socially distance ourselves at the moment so we need to be extra creative to achieve this. Use the social connection devices we have available to us during this time to check in with each other, whether it be via Facebook, What's App or Zoom. The ideas are plentiful. You can phone your friends more, do virtual dinner dates, book in virtual water-cooler breaks. Or book in with a friend to do an online class together. Unite Health is currently offering free weekly Pilates classes online via their Instagram on Wednesday evenings at 5pm AEST. Follow us on Insta here.

Love of learning

In conclusion

That's it for our top mood-boosting tips. We hope you can use a few of these to help grow your inner strengths during this tough time. Remember to be a good friend to yourself during this time. And we can't wait to see you healthy and happy on the other side.