Author And Wellness Advocate Vasudha Rai Shares How To Handle Stress During Lockdown

A month (and counting) into the quarantine, are you feeling stressed, depressed and anxious? Well, join the club!

However, you can potentially use this downtime to focus on yourself and truly introspect. 'This is actually the time to really get your habits in order. Like people say ‘I don’t have time to meditate’ or ‘I forget to drink water’. Anything you do for 21 days turns into a habit, so right now is the time to build those sustainable habits that you will stick to even after the world returns to its mad pace. It’s a good time to set holistic goals,' says author and wellness advocate Vasudha Rai.

So, here are her mantras to keep calm and inculcate some healthy habits during this period:

Skipping Salon

'If you are used to going to the salon frequently I would say that you take a break and just detoxify. I have removed my nail polishes, I am oiling my hair more – just take a break from using too many chemicals in your routine. So, you can swap getting your hair coloured for oiling that will really help with the brittleness and roughness you have in your hair due to colour. One combination that I really like to use in my hair is to mix equal parts of castor oil, Moringa oil and apricot oil. Then, just apply and you will see your hair fall reduce in a month. It’s okay, you may have few greys here and there but your hair quality will become so much better during this month that you will stay at home.'

Hands off your face!

'Corona has made us do the one thing that dermatologists over the world have been telling us for decades – keep your hands off your face. We have also started eating more homecooked food. So, your skin will naturally look better. The other thing you can do is to apply honey on your face, the first thing in the morning and then go about your day. The purer the honey, the better the results will be. You can also use pure Manuka honey or the raw honey on your face too. It is a good anti-bacterial and you can keep it on for hours because it does not dry out your skin. Try out oil pulling, which is really good for your mouth. Just take a sip of coconut oil, swish it in your mouth and spit it out into a dustbin. Then you can use good quality steam distilled rose water (NOT the essential oil rose water) and spray it directly in your eyes to instantly feel refreshed. These are beautiful morning rituals to include in your regime.'

Eat well

'If you feel weak or anxious then I would suggest adding more restorative food to your diet such as whole grains and ghee. Or if you are looking to detoxify, consume 5 freshly blossomed Neem leaves on an empty stomach for three weeks with warm water to detox your liver.

Most importantly do not waste food. If you think about it, the crops are grown by humans too, and they will be in isolation as well. So, we might have a subsequent shortage of food, so respect your food and finish everything on your plate, so that you learn a lesson to take smaller portions next time.

Eating fruits depend on your lifestyle. So, if you are on your couch watching television the entire day and then eat six servings of fruits, they are obviously not that good for you. But if you have intense yoga sessions and gym at your home then they are great.  If you want to have a lot of fruits the best time to do that is in the morning. According to Ayurveda, you should eat raw food before noon, so you can have fruits for your breakfast.'

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

'I can guarantee that 75 per cent of the readers do not drink enough water. So, now you can get into the habit of drinking water. I used to be like that and used to go the whole day without drinking water only to wake up in the middle of the night parched and down a gallon of water, which is so bad for your sleep quality.

Tulsi tea is another great way to calm anxiety. Professor Mark Cohen has called Tulsi the ‘yoga for the mind’ because unlike caffeine it relaxes and energises you at the same time. You must reduce your coffee and tea consumption during this period because you don’t need it now that you are not as active.'

Cleanse your mind

'Meditation actually does not suit everyone especially if you are prone to anxiety or depression. So, find what suits you best. One such thing is an alternative nostril breathing exercise that keeps our nasal passages clear. So, people who do this regularly will see over time that they don’t get cough or cold, your skin become clearer. When you take deep breaths, the diaphragmatic breathing stimulates your lymph nodes and helps detox your body.

The evening is a good time to try out guided meditations. If you like listening to music, so you look for sound healing videos. Others find it harder to sleep at night, so you can check out videos for Yoga Nidra video. There are thousands of such videos, so choose anyone that works for you. My favourite is this because I find the man’s voice very soothing. So, if you do an hour of yoga Nidra properly that amounts to about 3-4 hours of good sleep.

It is also great to have a gratitude group instead of sharing doomsday prophecies and WhatsApp forwards where you can share all the things you are grateful for or are positive about today.'