How to foster wellbeing at home

With all of us spending more time at home due to the coronavirus and creating a social distance from everyone we know and love, it can be a stressful time for most people. Being cooped up at home for the greater good has never been more important, but staying sane during this time and your own self-care is important too. While you may look at your home as a sanctuary, many others may view it as house arrest. Either way, such continuous sordid news can really affect your mental health, which is why we decided to come up with a few tips for you.

1. Enjoy The Sunshine

Sure, you might not be able to go outside for your morning dose of Vitamin D, but that doesn't mean that you cannot step out in the sun. Spend some time everyday out in the sun through the safety of your balcony or garden and set up your home office station where there is plenty of light. Spending time in the sun facilitates the production of Vitamin D, helps protect against seasonal affective disorder, alleviates depression, and boosts your metabolic rate.

2. Get An Endorphin Kick

Sitting for long periods of time isn't good for your mind, nor your body. Stick to your daily routine as much as possible. For some of you who wanted to get a workout routine in place, but don't have the time...you no longer have any more excuses. Not all of us have a gym at home, but exercising at home has never been easier as we're lucky to have several gyms and workout studios across Dubai offering free workouts ranging from HIIT to Yoga through their Youtube, Facebook and Instagram channels. Most of the classes offered do not require any equipment. Some studios are even renting out their (thoroughly sanitised) equipment that you can now get delivered to your doorstep, such as Motion Cycling in Business Bay. Here's another link to one of our favourite yoga studios in Dubai Marina.

3. Get Creative In The Kitchen

Cooking for yourself is the best form of self-care, as food is one of the main factors that can make or break your immune system. Stock up on some long-life supplies, such as rice, pasta, oil, spices, legumes, lentils, quinoa, frozen fruit, meat and vegetables, and minimally processed tinned food.  Avoid hoarding on supermarket supplies and junk food, but instead try to get as much fresh produce as you can. There are so many baking challenges and #quarantinecooking challenges on social media, that cultivates a feeling of community and belonging. Now is also the time to try and experiment with slow cooking and fermentation - from sourdough to kimchi.

4.Digitally Communicate With Others

Take the time to stay in touch with your friends, family and colleagues. Human connection is still so vitally important for your social growth (and we don't mean social media). Sharing the highs and lows is what makes us wonderfully human and creates a sense of empathy amongst all.

5. Support Your Local Business

Now that all major malls and all restaurants are closed, take some time to support your local restaurant. Local restaurants often contribute to the culture and growth of your community, and many of these businesses are currently suffering major losses. As major food delivery services charge a huge mark-up from restaurants for their delivery services, we encourage you to order with the restaurant directly or with DeliverDXB, which allows the restaurants to atleast stay alive during this crisis. 

If you're looking for a home, please consider a boutique, home-grown business such as ours as opposed to those that have international backing. We assure you that our specialists will take the necessary sanitary precautions as well as offer virtual tours throughout units so you can stay in the safety of your home and you will receive the best of our services and up to date advice, based on the government's mandates. 

6. Use The Downtime To Go Within

There are really only two ways to go about how you would deal with the current scenario - either you continue to sulk away at home or use the downtime to reflect and introspect. Use this time to meditate for peace of mind, keep toxic social media away, set times for when you update yourself on the news so as to not get overwhelmed and set goals for the future. We're all in this together.