Queen Of The Indoors: 3 Simple Tips To Fight The Stay Home Blues

It’s Day 15 of the circuit breaker and some of you might be feeling a little burnt out from cooping up at home too much.

Staying at home for a prolonged period of time can put us at risk of indulging in unhealthy habits because of the stress of feeling trapped, especially after finding out the circuit breaker is extended.

Ladies, what we’re NOT going to do is give in to negativity! These are 3 tips for you to fight those stay home blues and practice wellness instead:

1. Don’t Eat Your Feelings

Everyone has their comfort food to cheer them up. Foods high in sugar, fat and salt can activate the pleasure center of our brain, giving us that temporary mood lift.

However, regular indulgence in such foods can damage our health in the long run.

For instance, deep-fried food and food containing high amounts of sugar can increase inflammation. This puts us at greater risk of viral infections.

What you should do: Increase your intake of leafy vegetables and fruits. Look for colourful, deep-hued fruits like berries and dark greens because they’re rich in phytonutrients; they’re responsible for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

2. Create A Morning Routine

Remember the good ol’ days when we used to have a morning routine before going to work? You’d get dressed, put on your make-up, listen to music while commuting…

With working from home being the new social norm, all that is thrown out the window.

While it seems convenient at first to work in your pajamas, it isn’t exactly a good thing. The elimination of a morning routine removes that important transitional process from a “home you” to a “work you”. (There's an in-depth article here which talks more about this and it's actually really interesting!)

The absence of this boundary means that the lines between work and personal life is further blurred; you might end up feeling like you’re working all the time, and this strains your mental health.

What you should do: This might sound ridiculous but you should shower and get dressed! You don’t have to dress as formally or as stylishly as you normally would, but put in some effort to looking more presentable. Our very own Q from the Waistlab Team puts on her waist trainer to get her into her ‘work mode’ because it keeps her body upright!

Also, consider taking breaks in between and after work by meditating or going for a simple walk around your neighborhood to catch some sunlight and Vitamin D. But don't go touching things unnecessarily or patting the neighborhood stray cat!

3. Be Generous

Say what…?

Yes, you heard it right!

On an individual level, it’s scientifically proven that acts of generosity, no matter how small, can elicit the warm glow of feeling happy in our brains (a.k.a that ‘warm fuzzy’ feeling). (If you're a little geeky like us, you can read more about the science behind it here!)

Generosity is also an inherently social act; it’s contagious and can easily spread within our social network.

With the increasing number of positive Covid-19 cases rising in Singapore, especially among migrant workers, it is our social responsibility to do good by them and take care of their welfare.

Source: Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund, Giving.sg

What you should do: Spread generosity, not coronavirus — get your family, friends and co-workers to contribute in some way to helping them! Perhaps you can start by making a simple donation to the Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund.

In case you missed it, here are some inspiring stories from our lovely and gorgeous #WomenOfWaistlab to lift your mood this season: