Mondays are for Mental Health Awareness for Delux Designs (DE), LLC non-profit The DE Foundation. For our mental health blogging segment, #DEMentalHealthMondays, we are going to touch on the topic of how sunlight can help you have a better state of mind today.
This year has been a tough one, for everyone.
Whether you have lost your job, haven’t been able to find work, been evicted, missed out on priceless moments with friends and family, slipped backwards academically or addiction wise, have been affected directly with your physical health, or even worse have lost a loved one, Covid-19 has hit everyone in some way, shape or form this year negatively. This is something none of us have ever went through before. It doesn’t even align with the flu pandemic, terrorist attacks, not even any war this country has gone through in the past, it is much worse. In the last 11 months, as of today, over 1 million people have died due to the Coronavirus. It only took 8 months, not even a full year, for this mysterious virus to come in and kill one million people world wide.
With that amount of people directly affected by this year’s events, you can pretty much bet that everyone’s mental health has taken some huge hits back to back since January came through this year. What has not helped towards making things better mentally is the fact that we have all been ordered to stay indoors for at least half of this year as much as we can in order to physically stay healthy. After a while it becomes unhealthy to stay indoors like this. Thankfully some areas are getting better with this virus to where we can come outside just slightly which is why I am making this post for everyone today.
With things lightening up a bit, please take advantage of this time period in the most safe way that you can. Things are still not good for everyone. There are still people dying everyday and the virus count is going back up again worldwide. But not on the level that it was before where everything was pretty much completely shut down. With restrictions slightly lifted, get out of the house.
Take advantage of those days where the sun is completely shining bright. You would be amazed at what a little bit of sun can do for your mood and self-esteem as a whole. Many of us have been locked up in our homes a majority of the year and haven’t seen and experienced a good solid day of being outdoors to relax. Lets check out some ways you can enjoy the sun and improve your mental health a bit before the year ends below:
- Go for a walk – This can be in the park or just around your neighborhood. A great way to get some sun and to be socially distant from people and crowds so you’re still playing it safe out here.
- Have a picnic – Another great way of getting some sunlight plus you’re playing it safe eating wise by providing your own food from your home so you don’t have to interact with people at a restaurant of any kind.
- Go for a bike ride – Find an area where you can ride your bike, whether it be in a park or just around town. Don’t forget to wear your helmet as well.
- Set up a painting activity outdoors – This could be a solo painting activity, one with your significant other, or you can set this up with your children, especially if they’re currently in school virtually, as an art activity towards learning. If you’d like to hire an art instructor feel free to click here. #DEPaintandChill is always available to help towards teaching art classes and we travel.
- Have a Yoga or Pilates session outdoors – On a relaxing day, having a yoga or pilates session outdoors can change your whole day completely.
- Open your blinds – This simple thing can totally help with your mental health daily. When you get out of the bed, don’t just get up and get dressed and stay in the dark of your room or home. Open those curtains. Open those window blinds and allow the sun shine to fill your home. You’re not living in a prison in your home, at least I hope you’re not, so don’t treat it as such. Allow that sunlight in.
- Outdoor Movie Night – Host as an outdoor movie night for you and your family, of course socially distant safely. Everyone knows right now in the United States it is pretty tough to trust going to a traditional movie theater due to social distancing so why not have a movie night of your own? Our affiliate partner Amazon has an amazing inflatable movie screen, a movie projector that is perfect for your backyard, along with movie seats for outdoors, popcorn and hotdog machine, along with an icee machine to make this the ultimate movie experience right from home.
- Become a gardner – Now is the time you can begin that garden you’ve always wanted to start, whether it be vegetable or a floral garden.
- Install a Hammock – Last but not least, set up a spot for you to install a hammock. Getting a nice book to read or even using your laptop to search the web and be social on social media sites while laying in your hammock is the ultimately way to soak up sunlight. Amazon has a great option you can consider here.
Disclaimer: Affiliate links have been included in this post in which Delux Designs (DE), LLC receives a commission from any sales made through this post. We assure you, the products featured through DE from product reviews are products that we recommend based off of our own personal experiences from using them.
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Suicide Hotlines: 800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433) and 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255)