Underhill, mentor and founder of citiesRISE, is an expert on global health and mental wellbeing. He proposed a framework for our day to ensure that we can stay mentally healthy. He stated that we should:
“Implement the same practices as you would on any other day (before the crisis) – wake up, make your bed, shower, shave, eat your breakfast, etc.,” he explains. Each person can devise their own routine or framework based on their own habits. Underhill also suggest to give yourself a set number of hours to work and to allow yourself to take short breaks, including 20- to 30-minute naps if needed. Activities involving elements of creativity are also heavily recommended as this can reduce the feelings of anxiety.
Because we need to recreate our daily habits in order to feel a sense of peace, we should definitely keep in contact with our friends and family via phone calls, messages and video chats.
Staying up to date with your friends' lives will definitely be helpful in the short-run and in the long-run. In the short-run, it's always great to learn more about your friends and to give advice to those who are having problems. It's also very valuable to have someone who you can talk to everyday and ask for advice and give advice. In the long-run (after the quarantine periods and lockdown periods in the world elapse), you'll feel a sense of disconnect with your friends if you haven't caught up with what they did for that period of time where you didn't see them!
Stay in contact with your family! It's never a bad time to call your loved ones, especially if they are in another country! Things are hectic and crazy all around the world and just getting a little bit of attention from another person makes you feel valued and happy. Call your grandparents, your grandchildren and your friends around the world!
Being alone can often make one feel like they've lost control of themselves but staying in contact with your friends and family makes us assured that there is one thing constant in our lives: we have social relations that we love!
Here are some ways on staying in contact with your friends and family:
If you're feeling down (in Singapore), here are some numbers that you can call for help, guidance or emotional connection:
