The past year was very stressful. People all over the world were confronted with many circumstances that challenged their mental health. Many found outlets online, we’ve seen this with the growth of audiences for content producers. Some people even opted to become content producers themselves. Others took to cooking and others took up fitness. A person who is no stranger to using exercise as part of her regime to remain mentally fit is entrepreneur Bonnie Meslane.
Meslane, who runs her own PR company, says exercise helped her get over a depressing slump in her life. “I started working out in 2017, I was getting depressed and unhappy. A friend of mine was like, ‘girl, you’re going to die and we will bury you and move on if you don’t do anything about your health’.”
Meslane had never set foot in a gym in her life so her friend suggested she take a crossfit class. She agreed and never looked back.
“It was supposed to be a trial class and I never left after that. I liked it because it was a community sport and I’m competitive as well. I like knowing that I did better than yesterday but also knowing that I can beat other people in the room. But more than anything, I think I work out more because of my mental health. I’m running a business, I need to be pleasant to people, I need a fresh mind, a good mind, that helps me stay sane,” she says.
One of the best things about exercising to keep mentally fit is that she doesn’t have to worry about her weight. She’ll sometimes exercise in the evening to help with a good night’s sleep. Meslane says the hardest part about exercise is starting. But once you make the decision to move, you’re on your way.
“Because everything is mental, everything starts in your head. I believe that if you really want to work on your fitness goals, if you want to work on your health, to stay sane, you have to take the first step, and that’s starting. Do little things, skip indoors ... you can even run on the spot, there are so many exercises you can do at home.”
One piece of advice she gives is to have good-looking workout gear if you need extra help in getting started.
“If you want to get excited about working out - because I think a lot of people don’t like the pain, no one wants to be in pain, do you know how long a minute is when you work out? It’s super long! So when you have the right gear, you feel comfortable, you feel sexy, you know it’s motivating. You feel like you can do anything. And that’s the first thing, get your workout gear, feel pretty, feel comfortable and then you have nothing to lose and go on and get started. So it’s a big part of your working-out regime - look right, feel comfortable and get it done.”
Because she is on a busy schedule, her go-to exercises are squats.
"“I always do squats because they work your legs, they work your core, they’re like the go-to for me, whether it’s jumping squats or the normal ones. I always try to aim to do a hundred throughout the whole day. I break it down into segments of 25.
Do 25, wash my dishes, take a break, do another 25, respond to my emails, do another 25 and do something else ... but it’s going to add up to the number that I want.
What I also do indoors is skip. I have a skipping rope and also because the work that I do is stressful, I have to skip. I skip, do crunches, lunges and sit-ups, push-ups. These are all easy to do at home because you don’t need equipment,” she says.
As mentioned in the beginning of this article, stress is at an all-time high and stress can aggravate chronic conditions such as psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Specialist dermatologist Dr Lushen Pillay says people who suffer from psoriasis should avoid or manage triggers.
“All patients should be advised as far as possible to avoid or manage triggers, including stress, alcohol and red meat consumption. To help control flare-ups we recommend topical treatment such as calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate combination gel. Topical treatment has minimal impact on quality of life, systemic absorption is minimal and the risk of side effects is low.”
Pillay shares a few ways to help cope with stress:
- Know what to do if you are sick and are concerned about Covid-19.
- Take care of your emotional health. Taking care of your emotional health will help you think clearly and react to the urgent needs to protect yourself and your family.
- Take breaks from watching, reading or listening to news stories, including those on social media.
- Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate.
- Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
- Exercise regularly.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Avoid excessive alcohol and drug use.
- Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
- Connect with your community or faith-based organisations.
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