Well-Being in Covid Times

There are many problems you could be beset with right now. Not all of them are solvable, at least not immediately. Amidst all this, doesn’t it make sense to be at our mental best.

Are there simple things that we can do to secure our mental well-being? Research backs these 4 simple exercises. They are – a) Posture and movements, b) Autobiographical recollection c) Seeing Slowly and d) Noticing our subjective experience

a)     Posture and Movements

In my book – Happiness at Work: Mindfulness, Analysis and Well-being (SAGE, 2018-2019) – I wrote about how the body can be a compass of our well-being. We can use the body to nudge us to positive states. They can lift up our mood.

Stand straight with your head backward and chin a bit tucked in and chest not forward , extend your arms outward and stretched, palm facing the sky and shoulders slightly raised as a result of this posture. It is very similar to posture of the gymnasts after a successful performance except that the chest is not forward.

Once you stand straight and observe how you feel, then in a light manner move your arms up and down like flying. Do it a few times. Stop if your muscles get tighter. The trick is to do it as a light movement. Move at a comfortable pace.

Do you feel better?

Studies have shown that the above posture and movement lift up a person’s mood.

Next, stand straight, arms by the side, now bring the hands on top of your thighs in the front. With your fingers, tap your thigh like you are playing the tabla. Don’t strike it with the force of the whole hand, just the tapping with the fingers. Look straight when you are doing this. This posture and movement is known to arouse amusement in the little things around you.

b)     Autobiographical recollection

Recollect the time when you experienced the following emotions in your life. The more recent the time frame, the better. Do it one by one. Observe how each emotion felt different from the other. Recollect when you felt:

A sense of Accomplishment, Amusement, Contentment, Gratitude, Happiness, Hope, Interest, Love, Relief.

If you can’t do it for all, do recollect at least 3 of these emotions every day. The following day, try to recollect a new 3. Describe them in a notebook if you have to.

c)      Seeing Slowly

See the picture accompanying this article and try to savor it. Notice the small and intricate aspects of the picture.

d) Noticing Subjective Experience

Right now, notice the little sensations in your body. We often run away from our own experience. Notice the small itches, pains, aches occurring in your body right now. Commit yourself to experiencing everything that is happening to you – good or bad, pleasant or scary. Try to be in this state of total attentiveness for a few minutes. You will notice that the reporting state of – Am I in the state of attentiveness – interferes with the state of attentiveness. So, do this without any performance anxiety or reporting anxiety.

Hope you feel better. Remember, by being mentally well, you access the psychological resources for tackling the big challenges of your life far better.