Last month, the New York Times published an article that finally gives a name to the ‘Blah’ feeling that has been dominating our society in 2021 – it’s called languishing. As the world continues to scramble in treating and curing the physical symptoms of the virus, an underlying issue arising from the emotional limbo caused by the long-haul pandemic has reared its head. Being in a somewhat joyless and aimless void has left many in a state of confusion about the emotions (or lack thereof) that they are experiencing.

With Singapore moving back into what the Government calls Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), it is apparent that the fight against COVID-19 is far from over. While workplaces are once again shifting back into work-from-home mode somewhat seamlessly, this disruption to our daily living routines that was finally seeing some semblance of normalcy over the past few months will undeniably lead to anxiety and stress.

It is important that we take care of both our physical and mental health during this period as we continuously adapt to the relentless challenges that COVID-19 throws at us.

Here are some items that can help to improve your mental wellbeing during these uncertain and socially distant times:

Infusing your home with the right fragrance can help improve its environment and ambience, making it more conducive when working from home. Fragrances come in a wide variety of scents, from citrus to florals – each evoking different senses and emotions.

One way to make sense of the complicated emotions from this chaotic and disruptive period is through journaling. By regularly writing down your feelings over a prolonged period of time, this serves as an effective way to better process and stabilise your tumultuous emotions.

Mental wellbeing apps are treasure troves that contain a myriad of helpful resources for your different mental health needs (e.g. activities to lift your spirits, guides for mental wellness, self-care exercises, virtual therapist/ counselling sessions etc.).

A good way to regulate one’s stress levels is to keep active. Muscle rollers are an effective tool to add to your warm-up or cooldown, before and after exercise; they help to effectively loosen and relieve tension in one’s muscles.

Sometimes the best way to relieve stress is to channel all that pent up energy somewhere. When we’re stressed, our muscles unconsciously start to tense up – squeezing a stress ball acts as a simple but effective way to release and relax those muscles.

Living in this COVID-19 world is frustrating and draining because of how constantly the rules of the game are changing. Each time we think we’ve made a step towards a post-pandemic world, new developments take us back two steps as it threatens to undermine the progress and efforts that we have made. However, even though this fight might seem never-ending, let’s not give up hope as we work together to light a path out of this chaos.