Since the beginning of COVID-19, essential workers have been on the job, fearlessly serving the community, in spite of the lockdowns and risks. Though they are grateful to be in a position where they can make a paycheck and still feed their families, they are at risk every single day of contracting the virus. Below you can find a few health and wellness tips to follow as an essential worker out on the front lines every day.
Clean, Clean, and Sterilize Everything
Whether it’s your desk and computer or the cell sorter in the lab, you have to make sure that everything is clean and sterilized before you use it. While the cleaning staff will certainly wipe down and disinfect everything at night, it’s important for it to be wiped down and sterilized during your shift as well.
Don’t Forget to Eat Well
As an essential worker, you’re exposed to COVID more than anyone else is. You need to make sure that you’re eating right and well to boost your immune system. Your body needs healthy doses of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to survive. Most of these things you get from eating food. Make sure that you’re eating a healthy, well-balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner to keep up your immune system and your strength.
Keep Up with Exercising and Down Time
While this virus is horrible and you’re needed on the front lines, you also need to keep up with your exercising and make sure that you get some downtime, so that you can nourish and replenish not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Don’t forget to have fun during the madness, your health might very well depend on it.
Reduce Stress and Know How to Identify Triggers
It’s important to note that too much stress can lower your immune system, making it easier for you to catch COVID. Do everything you can to keep your stress levels under control, whether it’s through yoga, mediation, or just reading a good book in a bubble bath when you get home. You should also figure out the triggers that cause your stress levels to soar and try to avoid them all you can. If ever there was a time to be super stressed it was during a pandemic, but as an essential worker you owe it to yourself, your family, and others to try and keep the stress at bay.
Keep an Eye Out for Warning Signs
It’s extremely important to keep an eye out for warning signs that you might have contracted the virus yourself. If you start to notice that you’re not feeling well, watch your symptoms, and contact your primary health care provider as soon as you think you might have COVID. The same holds true if you’re having emotional problems due to the stress of being an essential worker during Covid. Make sure that you get help for physical symptoms and mental symptoms as well, as soon as possible.
Keep Your Chin Up and Hope Alive
While it can be hard at times, your determination and the hope that you bring to others is what’s going to get America and the ones you care about through this trying time. Keep your chin up, your hopes alive, and know that this too shall pass, and the sun will shine brightly once again.
These are just a few of the health and wellness tips you should follow to keep yourself healthy during the COVID crisis. Remember, as an essential worker, you need to take care of yourself first in order to be able to take care of others.