Multiple studies found that the pandemic has taken a toll on our mental, emotional, physical, and financial health, but we don’t need quantitative research to tell us that. No matter how much we “had it all together” before the pandemic, none of us were fully prepared for the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has been hard on our general well-being as adults, but it’s never too late to take steps to find our way back to health again. Here are some tips to help you get your life back together even as the world battles COVID-19.
Financial
Here are some tips for getting your financial life back in order:
- Assess your current financial situation. The first step to improving your funds’ current status is by being honest about it in the first place. How did the pandemic affect your savings and income? How about your debts? Be realistic about what needs changing, and that’s the first step to finding a solution to the problem.
- Find a savings account with higher interest. No matter how old you are, you can always upgrade your personal banking experience by finding deals that work in your favor. Find a savings account that will provide a higher interest rate so that you can earn extra from the savings you already have. The interest rate may not seem that big, but once your salary goes up, so will your interest rate.
- If you have never been interested in super funds or personal investing, now may be a good time to do so. Consult with bank employees if they offer different types of individual investment opportunities like money markets and see if it’s something you can pour out a portion of your savings to.
The point of adulting in your financial life is to grow what money you have now instead of just leaving it as stagnant savings. Explore all the opportunities open to you, and don’t hesitate to consult with banking experts about how these opportunities can serve your best financial interests.
Physical
The COVID-19 crisis has also not been the best for our bodies. Here are some tips to jump-starting your fitness journey, no matter how long it’s been since the last time you worked out:
- Consider getting a full physical examination, especially if you’ve contracted COVID-19 at some point. You want to ensure that there have been no lasting damages to your lungs and that you have the signal from your doctor to start exercising again.
- Cut back on harmful habits like excessive drinking, smoking, and consuming too much sugar and unhealthy foods. Consider learning how to cook so you have more control over the ingredients you allow into your meals, and it’s good for your wallet, too.
- The hardest part of working out again is just starting. But once you’ve settled on a groove, it becomes much easier to keep it up, especially once you start seeing improvements in your health. Remember that the goal is not your appearance but your health—looking good is just a fun bonus.
Mental, emotional, and spiritual
Caring for ourselves is so much more than just taking care of our bodies and securing our financial future. It’s also vital that we pay attention to our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being—because they are key to our being and ability to make the right choices. Some of these may be easier said than done, but here are some tips for improving your mental, emotional, and spiritual health this year:
- Find ways to reckon with the past year and a half’s losses, whatever they may be. Whether you lost people, sources of income, or anything that gave you joy and fulfillment, it’s important to deal with your grief before you can truly move forward.
- Consider going to counseling or therapy. Ask your primary care provider if they think it’s something that will benefit you greatly. There should no longer be a stigma towards seeing a mental health professional, especially during a time like 2021.
- Stay connected with people you trust, like your family members and friends who know and understand your struggles. Healthy relationships and connections can be a source of healing if we let them.
- Consider doing general cleaning of sorts and get rid of stuff you don’t need. If you sell some, you gain extra income; if you donate, you get to help many people.
Taking steps to undo the negative effects of the pandemic in our lives may be challenging, but we need to do them if we want to move forward. Take a deep breath, ask for help, and regain control of every aspect of your life by choosing healthy habits.
