Physical activities can improve mental health

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, switch. The monotonized voices drone through small iPhone speakers. It’s quickly followed by the sound of rustling fabric as the girls basketball team members switch their yoga poses in sync over FaceTime. Yoga is just one of the many self-care activities students at Lab are partaking in during the stay-at-home order to maintain or improve their mental health.

One of the most popular and well-known self-care activities at Lab is yoga or meditation due to the heavy focus on these topics through the Stress Redux classes offered by the P.E. department every year.

Megan Janda, a P.E. teacher who has focused on developing the Stress Redux curriculum, emphasizes the importance of a “reset” in improving your mental health. She said that focusing on breathing is the best thing someone can do to refocus.

“A simple deep breath can be effective in getting your mind and body into control,” Ms. Janda said.

Many types of yoga and meditation are centered around the “breath reset” that
Ms. Janda refers to. She suggests that students experiment with yoga and meditation as a form of self-care, as it is highly customizable to specific situations.

“Yoga is an activity that we use for many different things in life,” Ms. Janda said, “one person may use yoga to stretch, while another may use it for exercise, and someone else may use it to calm themselves down.”

Ms. Janda also recommends yoga as a form of self-care because of its accessibility.

“It’s just your body moving,” she said. “Anybody can do yoga if they want to.”

However, Ms. Janda says in order for yoga to be effective, you have to know what you want to get out of it.

Another physical activity that students can partake in is working out. School counselor Teddy Stripling, said one of the most overlooked methods of self-care is exercise.

“Little things like push-ups and air squats in your room or living room and getting away from the computer for even a minute can be useful in improving mental health,” Mr Stripling said.

He also recommends free apps such as Down Dog or Fitness Blender for students looking for more guidance in their everyday workouts.

Another activity that both Ms. Janda and Mr. Stripling say is helpful in reducing stress is cleaning and organizing your workspace.

“Just seeing a pile of papers in the corner of your mind has the potential to distract you from your work or class,” Mr. Stripling said.

 Ms Janda added that having a clean workspace helps you focus on what you are doing in the moment.

One of the most popular organization methods currently is the Marie Kondo method. People around the globe are following the popular Japanese organizer’s simple advice. She says that if something you have does not spark joy in your life, get rid of it.

Kondo also has tutorials and shows on YouTube and Netflix for students looking to store what they have in a neat and organized fashion.

Both Ms. Janda and Mr. Stripling say that organizing is especially important during this time of self-confinement to home. Ms. Janda also recommends getting outside every once in a while to break the constant routine of sitting in one spot all day looking at your computer.

One last activity students can participate in is establishing a skincare routine. Many see skincare as a waste of money and time, but the routine nature of skincare can be meditative. A skincare routine is usually just a person and their mirror. This introspective focus is an easy primary step into the world of self care, according to an article in HuffPost.

“In order to determine what method of self-care works best for you, you have to be willing to test the waters,” Ms. Janda said.

This stay-at-home order has forced people to go back to their roots in thinking about the importance of self care.

Ms. Janda said, “People are becoming more aware of what affects their mood and are beginning to explore what they can do to improve it.”