Stressful experiences such as sheltering in place or working from home can cause various aches and pains to appear. Even if such pains aren’t new, they can feel worse due to living a more sedentary lifestyle. Staying at home with more time on your hands can also intensify your focus on aches, you usually don’t think about much. Fortunately, there are several ways you can manage such shelter in place pains.
Exercise
Since so many aches and pains seem to crop up as you’re staying inside more, you need to be the opposite to counteract them. While it might not be possible to go back to work or resume your gym routine, you can put on your face mask and go on a walk.
A pleasant walk can get you out of the house and fresh air into your lungs. It can also rev your circulation, so you have better blood flow to every part of your body. Once your body and mind are bathed in essential nutrients such as oxygen, you’ll begin to feel better.
While your brain is more efficiently functioning, you’ll be able to develop strategies for feeling better fast more successfully. Since you’re already moving, please take a moment to think of what parts of your body ail you most and then gently stretch them at your desk or during a quick break. Don’t be too aggressive or you’ll set yourself up for injury. Remember, slow and steady always wins the race.
Dieting
If you’ve been sheltering in place for a while, you may have put on the so-called “quarantine fifteen.” These are extra pounds that many people have gained due to adopting more sedentary habits and eating fattening comfort foods. These extra pounds can also cause additional stress on already problematic knees, hips, and feet.
While adding exercise to your day is an excellent first step to banishing excess weight, it is only part of the answer. Eliminating junk and other binge foods will help restore your fit figure. If you have trouble saying “no,” to such indulgences, taking a smaller portion will also help you regain control over your weight.
Once you try this strategy, you will find that taking off excess weight helps you feel better. If you pay a little attention to nutrition, you can reap even bigger rewards from your diet. These benefits extend beyond mere weight and encompass your overall health.
You don’t have to look through too many government, university, or other health-related websites to read about anti-inflammatory foods. Such foods can quell the inflammation that makes joints swollen and painful. Enriching your diet with these nutritional superstars can also make it easier for you to move, exercise, and further reduce achiness.
Antioxidants, fatty acids, and other beneficial compounds are the secret sauce that makes anti-inflammatory foods work. Choose fatty fish for dinner, berries for dessert, and wash it all down with a glass of green tea. Other options include broccoli, mushrooms, and dark chocolate.
Deep tissue massaging
Working from home can really do a number on your posture, especially since it adds to the amount of time we’re sitting a day. That amount of time sitting is never good for the body and can quickly cause inflammation and pains to pop up.
One of the things you can do is invest in a foam roller or other tools meant for myofascial release. It’s a service that chiropractors provide, and these tools dig into your pain points and stretch the muscles and tendons; it’s a practice that both improves blood circulation to pain areas and also relaxes them. Whether that’s a tight lower back, a hamstring, or something else, these tools can go a long way in providing relief.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, you’re far from alone. Choose just one of these pain relief measures that appeal to you and add it to your daily routine. Keep adding or subtracting strategies, and you’ll soon feel better while working from home.