Maintaining a Level Head in the Time of COVID-19

This past year has been among the most stressful periods in the lives of countless people. In addition to the mortal threat presented by the novel coronavirus, the COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous direct impacts on our daily routines, interpersonal relationships, and careers. As such, there’s little wonder as to why many people’s stress levels have reached a fever pitch. While there’s no denying that a once-in-a-century pandemic is a major facilitator for stress, it’s entirely possible to maintain a level head while keeping yourself safe.

Promptly Get Vaccinated

When it comes to maintaining inner calm throughout this troubled time, nothing is more effective than getting vaccinated. Three different vaccines are readily available free of charge, so unless you suffer from a medical condition that prohibits you from vaccination, you’d do well to get vaxxed at your earliest possible convenience. For starters, being fully vaccinated will provide you with peace of mind. Like all vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines shouldn’t be regarded as magical shields against the virus in question, but they can reliably prevent serious and fatal cases of the novel coronavirus. While you should still mask up in public and continue taking common-sense precautions, getting vaccinated can provide you with a tremendous amount of protection that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

Secondly, getting vaccinated can help protect the health of those around you. This is particularly important for people who live or work with elderly and/or immunocompromised individuals. So, regardless of how concerned you personally are about contracting COVID-19, it’s imperative that you realize this isn’t all about you. The sooner the vast majority of us are fully vaccinated, the sooner we can start seeing a true return to normalcy.

Don’t Give in to Peer Pressure

Desiring a return to normalcy is perfectly understandable. After all, the vast majority of people on the planet have never lived through a pandemic of this magnitude. However, with millions of people refusing to get vaccinated and new COVID variants popping up left and right, it’s not yet time to let your guard down. As such, you shouldn’t allow yourself to be pressured into doing things that are dangerous or ill-advised.

For example, if friends or family members are pressuring you to attend a large gathering or any other potential super-spreaders event, you are well within your rights to refuse. You may not be able to control the actions of others, but you can certainly control yours. Furthermore, avoid being swayed by accusations that you’re “being ruled by fear” or “too afraid of dying to actually live.” These are common arguments used by people who don’t understand the gravity of the situation we’re in, and you’d be wise to ignore them.

Continue Working Remotely

Given how many people remain unvaccinated, there’s a good chance that a number of your coworkers have yet to receive a vaccine. So, if you’re immunocompromised or simply don’t feel safe working in a congested office at the current time, talk to the relevant parties about switching to remote work. If your employer is one of the many businesses calling remote employees back to the office, make it clear that you feel unsafe returning to the workplace at this time.

Enjoy Relaxing Pastimes

It should come as no surprise that relaxing pastimes are conducive to a relaxed mindset. That being the case, you should find hobbies that help you achieve a calm mental state. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, creative outlets and reading are just a handful of examples of such pastimes.

If you live in an area in which recreational marijuana use is legal, you may want to consider experimenting with cannabis and CBD products. Toronto residents with questions about strains, products or anything else weed-related are advised to get in touch with a good Toronto dispensary.

For 18 months and counting, the country – and indeed, the world – has been contending with the worst pandemic in a century. The virus’s highly infectious nature has facilitated a wide variety of changes to our daily lives and caused us to rethink the way we go about tasks that were once considered mundane. Needless to say, many of us have been feeling more than a little stressed throughout this difficult period. Fortunately, getting pandemic-induced stress under control and maintaining a consistently calm mindset in the time of COVID-19 isn’t