The full effects of this pandemic on our physical and metal health will only come to light once we have distanced ourselves from it. It might take years, but people are resilient. They find ways to cope.
Cooking and baking have evolved from a pastime of weekend warriors to a regular activity some have managed to earn from. Those trays of sushi bakes and boxes of ube-cheese pan de sal will go down in history as pandemic fare. Being able to create something out of raw ingredients gives one a moment of satisfaction, now few and far between.
Meditation is supposed to help one focus on what’s important. One app to try is Insight Timer that is marketed as an app for sleep, anxiety and stress. It has over 45,000 guided meditations with some lasting just a few minutes—perfect for beginners. It’s free for 30 days, but costs $60 for a year’s subscription.
What’s happening right now is definitely overwhelming, but try looking beyond personal concerns and thinking about how others are coping. If you can afford it, help someone out by offering to buy their groceries or donating to your chosen charity.
Keeping a journal is also a good idea. It allows you to pour out everything you might be experiencing on paper. Later on, once some time has passed, you can leaf through the pages and marvel at how far you’ve come.
British singer Tracey Thorn, formerly of the duo Everything but the Girl, is now a columnist for the New Statesman. Her evocative writing style lives on in her fortnightly columns. In her latest, she writes about dealing with the pandemic and having to live apart (but in the same house) with her immunocompromised husband, singer and songwriter Ben Watt. Journaling “can amount to an act of survival, a way of restoring order, gaining control, however illusory, over the events of our lives,” she writes.
Exercise, gardening
People have also become more religious in their exercise regimens. One friend has taken to gardening and transformed his family’s backyard into a pocket oasis. Another prefers the heart-thumping but low impact workouts he finds online. Both know the importance of factoring in cardio into their daily activities.
Many of us would benefit from the boosts that come from products that help clean and sanitize, supplements that help energize and skincare that helps us look our best. Watsons, with over 700 stores open nationwide, is stocked with bath essentials like Safeguard, Dove, Listerine, Oral-B and Himalaya; vitamins from Enervon, Stresstabs and Watsons Generics; and medicines like Sinecod Forte, Vicks, Solmux and Biogesic.
They have a range of skincare products from Belo, Ponds, Celeteque, Neutrogena, Demarcation Plus by Watsons; hair color brands from L’Oreal Excellence, Beautylabo and Naturtint; and haircare from Pantene and Naturals by Watsons.
Their men’s range includes grooming products from Adidas, Old Spice and Gillette.
Watsons Card and Elite members are entitled to 100 bonus points for a minimum P1,000 purchase of participating products from July 31 to Aug. 1 and Aug. 14-15. INQFor a list of stores: bit.ly/Watsons-Stores. To order via Watsons call-and-pickup or call-and-delivery service: bit.ly/3fsRUeK. Shop online: bit.ly/WStayStrong-Broadsheet.
Follow @watsonsph on Facebook and Instagram.
