In crisis, stay disciplined

Mona

Spending all the time watching Netflix, binging on treats without a worry seemed like a dream come true to many, but as the days of lockdown increase in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, it is slowly turning into a nightmare. One is running out of the shows to watch, mindless treats are not sitting well with the stomach, not used to being holed up in home…the uncertainty is brewing discontent. Now is the time for self-discipline; experts dole out tips.

Set up a routine

“Follow a routine; segregate meals, work and relaxation time,” says Manush Sharma, who often ‘works from home’ for his financial firm that has business based out of UK. “On any given day, I ensure to finish my run, get ready and have breakfast by 8 to tackle work.” Now that run is not an option, Manush has been taking help of videos to work-out at home. “Being a morning person has always helped in ensuring discipline. Before I connect with my team at 8 am, I am ready for the day.”

Designate space

“It really helps to have breakfast on the table, work on the station set for the purpose and using the bedroom just to sleep,” says Madhavi Gupta, a financial consultant. Shriya, a BPO employee, who takes work from home to be around her toddler, stays clear of Netflix throughout the day. “While I have had a smooth ride balancing home and work, I do come across many colleagues who find it tough to restrict binge-watching.” For Shriya, the simple rule is not to switch on any entertainment channel till nine at night and hit the pause button at 11 pm sharp.

“It is very important for one to ‘feel’ at work, even if it’s not physically being in an office space. Involving Kinesthetics refers to bringing at work all the senses to leverage their connection with the mind and thus conditioning the mind to demonstrate peak performance at work,” says Anuja Lath, Founder RedAlkemi.

Take care of your health

Being at home all day long makes a person turn towards the refrigerator a bit too often. With no physical activity, and too much opportunity to snack while sitting on your couch can have adverse effects on our body. How to avoid this? Here are some tips by Preety Tyagi, nutritionist and founder of MY22BMI:

Monitor your eating schedule: I always emphasise on maintaining a food log; mention the time of intake and what food was eaten. Also, mention the number of glasses of water taken. This may sound very methodical and a bit too tedious, but is definitely doable during the lockdown. This serves as a powerful tool to connect your brain with your physical and emotional hunger.

Go for fibrous fruits and vegetables: Foods that are high in fibre keep us full and provide energy for longer time periods. Also, these are excellent for a healthy gut. High fibre foods are also generally high in vitamins and minerals, and hence provide us with a great balance of essential vitamins that keep us healthy.

Drink enough water: Water is essential to keep us hydrated and satisfied, both physically and mentally. Also, often enough when our bodies are actually thirsty, our hormones may trick us into believing that we are hungry. This is something that often leads us to overeating or binge-eating. Hence, it’s important to rule out the possibility of thirst over hunger before consuming extra calories.

Feed on healthy snacks: Keep some healthy snacks always handy during the lockdown. It’s important to munch on something that provides you nourishment as well as satisfaction, which will help you ensure that you don’t feel hungry again and again. Examples of such snacks are almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, coconut flakes, fresh coconut, coconut water etc. All these foods are full of essential components as well as are good sources of healthy fats.