A to Z Challenge: Day 8 - H

Holistic Health and Covid-19 by Vanessa Wright

Thanks to Linze Brandon, who allows me to place my ramblings on her blog.

The world has changed. We are living in uncertain times while we watch the number of infections rise daily. I look around me and people are afraid of human touch, they jump at the sound of someone sneezing or coughing. It is now, more than ever before, extremely important to be aware of changes in mental health and overall well-being. Our current lockdown and self-isolation prompted me to make an art journal entry.

My anxiety has been through the roof lately as I battle to make sense of a changing environment and the adaptation of a new way of living. Art has been a welcome relief amidst the turmoil.

I wanted to address a holistic way of approaching the subject of mental health. I am bipolar and need to keep an even keel as much as possible. Please look out for the following signs during isolation:

1. Extreme fear and worry about your own health. Fear of leaving the security of your home to do essential shopping.
2. Changes in your sleeping patterns. Sleeping too much or too little. 
3. Changes in your eating habits; again, too much or too little.
4. Difficulty concentrating, feeling as if you are moving through fog.
5. Increased use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.

If you find that a number of the above things have been going awry, here is what works for me:

1. Get up. Make your bed, brush your hair and teeth, shower, put on clothing which doesnot involve yoga pants, your favourite bath robe or boxers.
2. Create a routine for yourself. This will instil a sense of normalcy and productivity. If needs be, make an A3 chart. Now you have broken up your day. Try to change your environment while doing the tasks you have set out for yourself.
3. Eat healthily; fresh fruit and veggies, hearty soups.
4. Meditate and do some form of exercise.
5. Stay connected with friends and family via cell phone- WhatsApp, Facebook, Zoom, etc.
6. Do not spend too much time on social media, limit your intake of bad news and updates.
7. Help others as much as isolation allows you to. I shop for my elderly neighbours and bake a cake or two.
8. Be grateful for what you have, it is much more than some people who are going through the same isolation as you are. Start each day by thinking of 3 things you are grateful for.
9. Take your medication regularly. Now is not the time to purge yourself of your anti-depressants.
10. Any form of creativity goes a long way in alleviating anxiety.

The Art Journal Piece:

Materials

Art journal or old book.

Gesso, HB pencil, kneaded eraser for those inevitable mistakes. Acrylic paint in the colours of your choice. Words which I cut out of an old magazine. Glue, paint brushes and a Sharpie for the outlining.

I use an old book as an art journal. I glued three pages together and treated it with gesso. Next, I drew my abstract figures with my HB pencil. I used complimentary, bright colours for my artwork.

Vanessa's Holistic health art journal entry

After painting the figures, I outlined them with the Sharpie and stuck the words on with glue. As you can see, they represent gratitude, meditation, activity, reading or studying and contemplation. The two figures at the very edges are black which represent the effect the virus and isolation has on us.

Stay safe and healthy.

Love,

Vanessa