Three simple steps you can take for better mental, physical health during lockdown

Lana Jaff a Sydney based Yoga instructor, she is finalising her honours thesis in psychology and will graduate at the end of this year. In this interview we ask her about the simple steps people can take to reduce anxiety and stress during times of uncertainty. The extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne as well as other parts of Australia, as we combat the third wave of COVID-19, has put a lot of pressure on people's mental health.

Source: Supplied-Lana Jaff

Lana tells SBS Kurdish that there three main steps that we need to remember in order to keep our well-being in check, they are; eating fresh food as opposed to processed, getting a few minutes of direct sunlight daily, and at least some light movements (exercises, or meditation) on a daily basis.

Lana Jaff Source: Supplied

Meditation is a bigger word than what it actually means. If you can spare five minutes to focus and pay attention to breathing slowly, that would be enough to reduce daily stress. Anxiety is usually about the future, meditation helps us to focus on now and be mindful of present.

Times of uncertainty usually heightens our anxiety and stress levels; it is important to remind ourselves that this is not a permanent situation. Lana says, although the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions can affect individuals differently, for most of us “the fight/flight nervous system activated because of the uncertainty of lockdown.”

Lana highlights the importance of the mind and the body, daily movement (exercise, yoga, meditation), diet, sun exposure, which helps in resetting the circadian rhythm and as a result help us get better sleep. All of these have paramount effect of our mental and physical health.