The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to numerous problems. Weight gain is one of them. In a recent poll conducted by WebMD, a large number of responders reported weight gain during the lockdown. People are calling this weight gain Quarantine 15.

Why is lockdown leading to Quarantine 15 weight gain?

• Reduction in activity: As people are locked within their homes, they are living a less active life than before. They are not able to go walking, jogging, or exercising in gyms. This lack of exercise is leading to weight gain.
• Boredom and stress eating: When people feel bored or stressed, they tend to binge eat. This also leads to weight gain.
• Trying new recipes: Boredom is also making people try new recipes more often. Whether it is to keep the kids happy or for the joy of showing off culinary skills on social media, people are trying to put more variety in their meals. This ‘fancy eating’ is also responsible for Quarantine 15 weight gain during the lockdown.

How to lose weight during Coronavirus lockdown?

1. Eat healthy to fight of Quarantine 15:

You need to watch what you are eating. Reduce the intake of saturated and trans fats. Limit your sugar intake. Make healthier food choices by eating more fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts, berries, etc. These will give you nutrition and keep your immunity strong. You need strong immunity to fight off the deadly COVID-19 infection.

2. Mind your moods:

Avoid binge eating because of boredom and stress. Choose other activities that can help you pass time and keep you relaxed. Take up a hobby. Learn some new courses. Talk to friends and family. Here are 51 things you can do to make your lockdown time useful.

3. Restrict fancy eating:

Trying new recipes is fun. But healthy eating is important too. So, put a limit to how often you’ll try a new recipe that is high in calories and fats. Instead, challenge yourself to try new healthy recipes.

4. Change your eating habits:

Changing your eating habits can also help you lose weight. For example, drinking water 20 minutes before the meals can prevent binge eating. Take frequent healthy snacks instead of eating heavy meals after a long gap. Concentrate on what you eat and eat slowly. Even using smaller plates can help. Check out more smart eating tips.

5. Exercise at home:

Just because you can’t go out doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. If you want to fight off Quarantine 15 weight gain, you need to keep yourself active. Find ways to exercise at home. Instead of binge-watching television, keep yourself active.

You can keep Quarantine 15 away

Quarantine 15 weight gain is troubling many people. But you can fight it off. Just stay active, eat healthy food, and stay happy. Don’t let your stress and anxiety ruin your health. At a time when a deadly infection is plaguing the world, you need to be extra careful of your health.

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Uses

Vitamin C is one of the most widely known vitamins these days. It will surprise you that body needs vitamin C for over 300 plus functions. Vitamin c is also known as ascorbic acid, water-soluble, carbohydrate like substance involved in various metabolic processes. Vitamin C has the power to heal the body and without it, the body won’t be able to heal itself either. The body is not able to make vitamin C on its own neither it stores vitamin C. That is why you should include plenty of vitamin C-containing foods in your daily diet. Vitamin C has been proved to help protect against heart disease, cancer, and other serious illness. Vitamin C is also vital for the synthesis of collagen. The collagen helps in quick healing in case of cuts or other injuries by repairing the damage. Without sufficient C vitamin, this would be very hard. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant and helps other vitamins and minerals to be absorbed better by the body. Folic acid and iron, for example, need vitamin C to show their usefulness to the best. Its antioxidant power protects body cells against damage from harmful molecules called free radicals. The more vitamin C body has a better defense system and immunity against colds and other ailments. Vitamin C does not guarantee that person will never catch a virus but helps as a shield for early recovery. Vitamin C has a vital role in managing high blood pressure.

Source

As per experts, the recommended daily intake for vitamin C is about 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. It must be obtained from the diet or supplements.  Citrus food is a rich source of Vitamin c. Cranberries, kiwi fruit, melons, acerola cherry, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach have high c vitamin content. Unfortunately, since the C vitamin is water-soluble, many vegetables lose much of their Vitamin C content if they are boiled for a long time. If you feel you are not getting sufficient Vitamin C from your diet, vitamin C supplements are an excellent way to boost your vitamin C intake. Consult your doctor before having it.

Conclusion

For strong body immunity and protect your body from high blood pressure, flu, cancer risk, eye diseases or treat lead toxicity daily intake of vitamin C is very essential.

The post How Vitamin C Benefits Your Body And Its Vital Role In Immunity appeared first on WellnessHub Nourishing Your Mind, Body, and Soul.

Lockdown and curfews mean that we cannot go outside of our house, no one is supposed to visit us in our homes, and we are meant to stay in our house, building, apartment or flat with only the people we normally live with. All domestic helpers are supposed to be on paid leave and should also stay in their respective homes. Working from home during a lockdown may or may not be similar for every person as we all have different personal and professional challenges in our lives.

Dr. Amanpreet Kaur, Clinical Psychologist and mental health researcher with The George Institute for Global Health suggests the following tips for staying psychologically, as well as physically, healthy during these challenging times.

Tips for staying psychologically and physically healthy during COVID-19 pandemic

Stick to routines and manage time:

We all are conditioned to feel relaxed and sleepy if we stay in our pajamas and do not have a shower or bath. It is indeed challenging to continue taking care of oneself like earlier times when facing a new routine. Therefore, set fixed times to get out of bed and go to sleep. You can’t go for a walk or to the gym or park, but you can set aside some time for stretching, yoga or meditation (whatever you like). Sit down to do your office work and meetings and spend time with your family in between or do the chores while taking frequent breaks.

Take care of yourself:

Just because you are stuck in your house, it doesn’t mean you need to live shabbily or not groom yourself. That would again make you feel lazy as if there is nothing new to be done and there is nothing exciting in life – let’s not reinforce such beliefs! Take care of yourself and if you don’t have appropriate grooming products left, do not worry, there are ways to use household items to take care of your skin, body, and health. Spend some time for yourself.

Eat healthy:

Try looking at cooking videos while using social media accounts. Who said we need exotic items in the kitchen to cook? If you live alone, or have access to food delivery, or would rather eat ready-to-eat food, try and include healthier substitutes, such as nuts, fruits, and vegetables in your free-time instead of binging on chocolate, candies or ice-cream. It’s a new situation for your body physically as well. Treat your body well, cook fresh and eat healthy.

Do physical exercise:

Try yoga, pranayama, jogging (include as part of your stretching) or moderate exercise. We are all eating as before, but our daily exercise and calorie usage have gone down since the lockdown. You should have an empty stomach for exercise (no food two hours beforehand), and you should try to exercise at night or early morning or evening, whichever time is suitable for you. But be active! Make use of YouTube videos to keep yourself occupied or motivated.

Practise Physical distancing NOT social distancing:

There are multiple online applications where you can play games with either your family members, friends or relatives – you just need your phones and internet connectivity. Connect with your friends and check upon their safety and health and see how they are doing mentally. You need to maintain a safe distance physically but not socially. As humans, we are all social animals and are lucky to be able to access the voices, pictures or videos of our loved ones through the internet. Use it well!

Watch a new TV series or shows:

Watch new TV series or shows on Netflix, Prime or Hotstar during lunch or dinner or before sleep, or why not catch the series you couldn’t watch before because of work commitments? Keep in touch with the news but don’t overdo it! Read or watch news first thing in the morning, be aware of updates and check the latest before your day ends. If you try and watch television continuously or are always checking for updates on websites, it will only distress you more.

Pursue Hobbies, activities, and interests:

Why not dive into reading those books you bought but never read, or those interests or hobbies which you never found time for? It could be reading, writing, singing, playing, gardening, cooking, teaching the kids something new, re-arranging your house or wardrobe, cleaning your stuff – give something new a try!

Be Mindful and practice Gratitude:

You can’t just stop yourself from being fearful, anxious, uncertain or upset about the whole situation. The foremost thing to keep in mind is to be aware of, or be conscious of, the fact you are overwhelmed by certain emotions. Remember to use your ‘breath’ as an anchor – the only thing which is in your present and free of any guilt or anxiety. Take deep breaths and remind yourself to be in the present moment where you are nothing but relaxed and aware. Look around and notice your garden, your environment, enjoy the flavours of your food (try to!) before you judge something or react against something. Accepting and attending to present with relaxed awareness doesn’t require any equipment. Practice gratitude daily where you can be thankful of all positive things, people or events in your life.

Stay connected to your colleagues, manager and your work-self:

Communicate realistic goals, worries, plans and updates with your colleagues and manager on a regular basis. Fieldwork can’t happen now but try figuring out how you can complete other tasks. Focus on previously unattainable goals, any grants, articles you may want to write or any pending tasks.

Conclusion:

We are all in this together, and together we can flatten the curve by following the rules and guidelines. Above all, consider your physical and psychological well-being as a priority. Do not ignore your mental health while adjusting to this new pattern and system of lockdown.

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Countries across the world are using measures like social distancing and lockdown to prevent this infection’s spread. Efforts are being made to increase capacity for quarantine. New hospitals and Intensive Care Units are being set up to manage positive cases. In India, even several hotels, schools, and trains are being turned into isolation wards. All over the world, governments are trying to contain the spread of the infection and reduce fatalities.
At such a time, ensuring the safety and preparedness of Frontline Health Workers (FLHWs) is essential. FLHWs include all types of health workers like doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers, pharmacists, and all others who provide healthcare directly to their communities.

The Rapid Evidence Synthesis team at The George Institute for Global Health, India, recently researched the issues and challenges that FLHWs would face during COVID-19 pandemic. The research team looked at global evidence from recent pandemics to understand issues and challenges for FLHWs during COVID-19.

“It will not be business as usual,” emphasizes Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik, the lead for this research. “Disruption in supply chain, logistics and supportive supervision would impact routine service delivery of FLHWs. It is important to plan which activities are essential and thus to be continued and which might be postponed.”

“FLHWs will experience stigmatization, isolation and social ostracization. Providing psychosocial support, non-performance-based incentives, additional transport allowance, child-care support should be planned. Awards and recognition are required for motivation. Without an active and motivated health workforce, it is difficult to tackle COVID-19,” adds Dr. Jyoti Tyagi, another member of the research team.

The key points of this RES report include:

Increased risk of COVID-19 infection:

Frontline Health Workers will face an increased risk of COVID-19. The governments and medical organizations need to provide personal protective equipment (surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizers; N95 masks if involved in contact tracing) in sufficient quantities. FLHWs must also receive training on proper usage of these equipment in the early phase itself.

Disruption in supply chain:

Disruption in supply chain, logistics and supportive supervision might occur. This would impact routine service delivery. FLHW should be given advice on which activities are to continue and which they might postpone. They must also get proper guidelines, protocols, and training for conducting additional activities.

Risk of engaging FLHWs in additional duties:

Engaging FLHWs who continue to perform routine service delivery in additional duties like contact identification and listing is not without its risk, including the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Social stigma:

FLHWs might experience stigmatization and isolation. They might even face social ostracization. Therefore, providing psychosocial support, child-care support, non-performance-based incentives, additional transport allowance, etc. should be planned for the Frontline Health Workers. Awards and recognition should also be considered for boosting their morale.

Conclusion:

Frontline Health Workers provide health services directly to communities, including in remote and rural areas. They are the first and sometimes the only healthcare providers for people. It is essential to provide proper training and support to FLHWs so they can fulfill their duties successfully, and without risk to their physical and mental health.

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Experts fear that low and middle-income countries like India will see a higher rate of anxiety and depression during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the immediate necessity is to address the respiratory infections due to COVID-19, the growing threat of stress, anxiety, depression both in the community and among health workers must not be ignored. Once the immediate crises is over, we would need systems in place to assess and treat individuals who need mental health care.

If the COVID-19 pandemic is making you anxious too, don’t ignore it. Instead, make efforts to manage your anxiety and feel better. The following few suggestions can help.

How to manage your stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic

1. Acknowledge your feelings:

First of all, acknowledge and accept that you are feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed. Hiding your fears and keeping up a bold face might do more harm than good. Anxiety can increase your worries manifold. It can disturb your sleep patterns and make it difficult to concentrate on work. Stress and anxiety can also lower your immunity and worsen preexisting health problems. And they can cause an increased dependence on alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

It is, therefore, important to acknowledge your fears and anxiety. Don’t feel guilty about it. The world is facing an unprecedented problem, and getting worried about it is understandable. But you need to manage this worry and prevent it from turning into a mental health problem.

2. Limit your consumption of news:

At a time when people are locked within homes, consumption of news has increased manifold. You want to know the latest count of COVID-19 cases in your country. You want to know the rate of fatalities. And you want to know every step that the government is taking to curtail this pandemic.

But so much consumption of news can have its adverse effects. Some news sources might even sensationalize a news story, creating unnecessary panic among people. Avoid all such news sources. Do not believe the content on social media without checking its veracity.

The best strategy would be to choose one or two trusted news sources and resist the temptation of hunting for the pandemic stories wherever you can find them. Also, limit the times you access the news sources. Watching the news one or two times in a day is enough for you to stay informed while preventing unnecessary anxiety. Instead of consuming news all day long, watch something entertaining and fun.

3. Educate yourself:

If you fear you might have COVID-19, educate yourself about its symptoms. But don’t spend hours googling about it. Instead, check out the trusted sources like government or WHO websites. Watch your symptoms calmly. And contact your doctor only when necessary. The healthcare system is already overloaded in most countries. So disturbing your doctor every time you cough or sneeze is not a good idea.

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices:

When you stay inside your home all day and for so many days, it is easy to get languid and listless. But you must stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes taking a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, maintaining good personal hygiene, and keeping your home clean and well ventilated. Avoid bad habits like smoking and too much alcohol consumption. Think positive thoughts and adopt healthy habits. Take sufficient sleep and try to relax. Yoga and meditation can help reduce your stress and anxiety.

5. Spend time with family:

Spending quality time with your family will help you relax. Our busy lifestyle often demands the sacrifice of family time. If your area is under lockdown, it is a perfect opportunity for you to enjoy time with your family. Turn off the TV, put your phones and iPads aside, and talk with your dear ones. Share jokes, reminisce good memories, and enjoy family time. Even if you are in self-isolation or home quarantine, you can still converse with your family members. Just follow the necessary precautions recommended by your doctor.

6. Stay at home, but be social:

Staying locked at home no longer means being cut off from the world. And social distancing does not mean cutting down your connections with your loved ones. Instead of spending hours reading worrying news stories on your phone, use it to talk to your colleagues, friends, and relatives. Social interactions are beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety. So talk to friends, renew old bonds, share some laughs and motivating messages, and keep the anxiety and depression away.

7. Do things you enjoy:

You will feel less worried if you engage yourself in something you enjoy. Activities like singing, dancing, gardening, handicrafts, etc. can keep you engaged and make you feel happy. If you don’t have a hobby, pick up one now.

You can also make the best use of Coronavirus lockdown time by gaining new knowledge or skill. You can start some online courses. Or even YouTube videos can teach you cool new skills like Do-It-Yourself crafts.

In short, do something fun, and let it help you forget your worries.

8. Talk to your children to ease their anxiety:

It’s not only the grownups that are feeling anxious about the COVID-19 pandemic. Even children and teenagers are experiencing anxiety. When parents get worried, children notice it and feel worried too. And if a family member is affected by the Coronavirus, children can feel scared and stressed out. Parents must understand this and talk to their children about the Coronavirus problem. Listen patiently to all the fears and questions of your children. Explain to them the details about the COVID-19 in age-appropriate language. Remove their worries. You want to keep your children safe from Coronavirus. Reduce their worries about it too.

Conclusion:

Anxiety and stress can affect your immunity and aggravate your preexisting health issues. While a dangerous virus is spreading over the world, it is vital that you stay physically and mentally strong. So, avoid the things that are increasing your worries. And engage yourself in activities that can make you healthier and happier.

We hope the tips mentioned above will help you manage stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. If you continue to feel troubled, consult a doctor. Also, look out for any disturbing symptoms in your family members. These might include the person alienating himself or herself from all others, showing increased anger or mood swings, loss of appetite or difficulty in sleeping. If you notice any marked change in someone’s behavior, don’t ignore it. If you and your family can’t help such a person towards better mental health, seek medical advice.

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Adults can understand all this and restrict their movements. But it is very hard for children to understand why they cannot step out of their home or why they need to stay away from the isolated family member. Parents need to be very careful to keep children safe from Coronavirus. They must also ensure kids are happy and relaxed and not getting terrified by the situation.

If you are a parent worried about your children, here are some important things you need to understand:

Are Coronavirus symptoms different in children?

It will be a relief for you to know that Coronavirus symptoms in children are usually milder than adults. Of course, in some cases, the children can become critically ill too from COVID-19. But the percentage of such cases is less compared to adults. Also, infants might have more severe symptoms than toddlers and older children. This is because infants’ immunity isn’t as developed as that of the older kids.

One study in China has revealed the following about children affected by COVID-19:

• Infants: 11% have severe symptoms.
• 1 to 5 years old: 7% have severe symptoms
• 6 to 10 year old: 4% have severe symptoms
• 11 to 15 year old: 4% have severe symptoms
• 16 years or older: 3% have severe symptoms.

Among the children studied in China, it was also revealed that about 4 percent of them were asymptomatic. That is, they had no symptoms of the illness. 51 percent of the affected children had mild illness. 39 percent of the affected children had moderate illness. And about 6 percent of children developed critical illness. This is much less when compared to 18.5 percent of adults. It must be noted that children with a pre-existing medical condition and special healthcare needs may be more at risk of developing severe symptoms.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus symptoms in children and adults are similar. But children might also develop vomiting and diarrhea.

How to keep your children safe from Coronavirus?

While children are less likely to develop serious symptoms from COVID-19, you must still try to keep them safe from it. This is especially important if someone in your home has the infection.

• Don’t let your children go to crowded areas like public parks. Try to keep them engaged at home.
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, isolate yourself. Teach your children why you need to stay away from them.
• If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, wash the toys you might have touched recently before letting children play with them.
• Keep the high-traffic areas clean and sanitized. These include door handles and other surfaces children often touch.
• Designate a caregiver among friends, family, neighbors to take care of your children if you need to isolate yourself and have nobody else in the home to look after kids.

How to talk to your children about Coronavirus?

We may think children don’t know what is happening in the world. But if you are listening to the news all day and discussing the coronavirus pandemic at home, your kids have heard and seen enough to make them scared. They might not reveal their fears to you. So, it is up to you to talk to children and remove their anxiety. This is especially important if anyone at home is in self-isolation or quarantine.

• Talk to your children in age-appropriate language and educate them about the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Use the example of other viruses like influenza to explain Coronavirus effects.
• Explain how social distancing and staying inside the home will keep them safe.
• If a family member is under self-isolation or quarantine, explain to the children why they need to stay away from such people.
• Being confined within homes can be hard for children. Keep them engaged in interesting activities.
• Teach your children the importance of washing their hands with soap and water carefully and frequently.
• Assure your children this is a temporary problem and all will be well soon. Answer their questions patiently and try to alleviate their fears.

Conclusion:

Keeping children safe and happy is a top priority for all parents. Not an easy task even at the best of times. COVID-19 has made it even harder now. But with proper care and precautions, your children can stay safe from the Coronavirus as well as anxiety and boredom it might cause them.

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Obeying the lockdown and maintaining social distancing is essential to stay safe from Coronavirus. But these measures may also give rise to anxiety, depression, and boredom. Staying locked within homes for days can be especially hard for children.

At such a time, you need to keep yourself and your family engaged in interesting activities. Sure, binge watching Netflix or playing games on your phone and computer can be fun. But this kind of fun is not good for your eyes and health. Instead, try spending the lockdown days in other interesting and productive activities.

Here are some ideas for you:

Things you can do in a lockdown

Exercise and yoga

This is a perfect time for you to lose weight and get in shape. You are at home. You are getting bored. Use those exercise equipment you bought and then forgot. Or find some good exercise videos on YouTube and start exercising. If you can’t do strenuous exercises, switch on some music and try walking around in your home. Set up your weight-loss goals and use the lockdown days to achieve it. Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises help reduce stress and keep the blood circulation going. It’s always good to include some form of exercise in your life.

Innovative exercises during lockdown

Don’t have exercise equipment? Well, then create some! Innovate and use the things at your home to exercise. Share your exercising videos on social networks and motivate your friends to stay active too.

Plan your diet

You have postponed your diet plans long enough. Now is the perfect time to start eating healthy. Sit down and plan your diet. Decide what you need to stop or start eating. You may not get all food products during a lockdown. But your plan will help you eat better after the lockdown is over.

Read

If you are a bookworm, you will have no difficulty doing this. If you are not, give books a try. Choose the genre you think you enjoy. Mystery, fantasy, romance, historical, crime — there are plenty of choices. If you have books waiting in your To-Be-Read list, read them. If you don’t have any book at home, download some. There are plenty of free eBooks available for you to enjoy. Download the Kindle app or any other eBooks app on your phone, tab, iPad, and start reading.

Tell stories to your children

Telling stories to kids does not just help pass time. It is an excellent way to strengthen your bond with your kids. Stories help in firing up children’s imagination and can teach them valuable life-lessons too.

Listen to music

If you enjoy music, then this is the perfect time for you to run through your entire collection, dig up the old favorites, and discover new artists.

Dance

Why just listen to music? Dance to it. It will be fun. And dancing can be an interesting exercise, too.

Plan a family dance competition

Make dancing a family activity. You can organize a family dance show or competition. You can make your kids spend some days in practicing before the final dance performance. Children would love it, especially if you promise some reward to the winners.

Sing

If you enjoy singing, use the lockdown days to learn some new songs. And like dancing, you can organize family singing competitions too.

Learn musical instrument

Did you buy a musical instrument with great enthusiasm but then put it to a side and forgot? Pick it up again and start practicing. If you don’t have any book to guide you, use the internet. You’ll find plenty of music lessons online.

Learn to cook

Use lockdown time to improve your culinary skills. Make the best use of the food items you have at home. But be careful and don’t waste anything. Food is precious now.

Make a wishlist

Lockdown might have restricted your shopping fun. But that doesn’t mean you can’t browse the online retailers and line up your wishlist. Window browsing is fun too, isn’t it?

Clean your wardrobes

You don’t have the excuse of being too busy. So, clean your wardrobes now. After all, you need to make space in them for the celebratory shopping you’ve planned for post-lockdown days!

Clean your home

Why stop at just wardrobe cleaning? Your house can do with some sprucing, too. So, get down to it. Clean your kitchen, bathrooms and all your rooms. It will help you use idle hours. You will have a clean home. And it will give you good exercise as well.

Re-decorate

You can’t go out to shop for decorative items. But you can re-arrange the things in your rooms. So, do it. Try giving your home a new look by moving the furniture and other stuff to new positions.

Draw and paint with your kids

Your kids might get bored with drawing and painting alone. But if you join them and challenge them, it can keep them entertained for longer. It will be fun for you too.

Best out of waste activities

Challenge your kids at a best out of waste activity. Encourage them to use their imagination and make something interesting. You can help them, but let their ideas be in lead. Such activities can help you keep children away from phones.

Play funny games

Think up some funny games and play with your family to make everyone laugh. For example, hold a competition of making funny sentences using the given word, or giving an impromptu speech about a funny topic. Or just have a competition of making funny faces. Use your ingenuity to raise some laughter. It will make everyone feel better.

Board games

Have family tournaments of games your kids love. These can be board games, jigsaw puzzles, Lego toys, etc. Make these games more interesting by holding a tournament with various rounds and prizes to the winners.

Fun with neighbors

If you live in an area where houses are close together and balconies face each other, have balcony singing and dancing programs or competitions among the neighbors. All neighbors can participate from their balconies.

Have haircut fun

Give yourself a haircut. Or make it a couple’s activity and give each other a haircut. Enjoy the romance. But do it at your own risk! And be very careful while giving a haircut to your kids. If you mess it up, your children will never forgive you.

Make old clothes new

Dig out your old clothes and make something new out of them. You will find plenty of ideas on YouTube, Pinterest, etc. Check out some cool ideas from Lifehack.

Meditate

If the pandemic and resulting lockdown are making you anxious, try meditating. Sit in a quiet place. Close your eyes and try to focus your attention on your breath. Meditation can help you relax and feel more positive.

Weird sounds

Record the weirdest sounds you can create using stuff at home. Share with friends and family.

Start a blog

If you had been thinking of starting a blog, do it now. Just decide what you want to write about, set up your blog, and start blogging. It will keep you engaged for hours every day.

Write a book

Have you felt a book bubbling in your heart? Use the lockdown days to pour it out. You can use the quiet time to write a fiction or non-fiction book. It will keep you busy. And when you finish your book, the sense of achievement you’ll get will be an experience worth all the hard work.

Start a YouTube channel or a podcast

If writing is not for you, start a YouTube channel or podcast. Share your fun and knowledge with the world.

Drawing with kids

Did you enjoy drawing as a child? Maybe the busy life pulled you away from it. Well, it’s time to revive your hobby. Sit down with paper and pencil and start sketching.

Give yourself a beauty treatment

You can’t go out to a beauty parlor. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself a beauty treatment. So, use the time to give yourself facial, manicure, pedicure, etc. Pamper yourself.

Give yourself a funny makeover

Not interested in beauty treatment? Have fun giving yourself a funny makeover. Use the stuff at home to give yourself a funny look. Then click photos or record videos and share them with family and friends. You can even have a family competition for it!

Quit a bad habit

With the pandemic spreading death around the world, you can see how precious life is. Take care of it. If you have been harming yourself with bad habits like smoking or alcoholism, quit it now.

Clean the junk out of your computer

You have cleaned your home, start some digital cleaning now. Remove the junk from your computer. Organize your files, photos, etc.

Clean the junk out of your phone

Like computers, smartphones also collect plenty of junk. Sit down and remove all those useless files. You might even reset your phone. But backup your valuable data first!

Clean your social media profiles

Take a look at your social media networks too. There might be some photos on it you find embarrassing or disturbing now. Remove them. There might be some connections that you no longer want or recognize. Remove them. Use the lockdown days to take control of your social networks.

Dig out the old family albums

How long has it been since you last looked at your family albums? Dig them out now and enjoy roaming through delicious memories.

Do an online course

This is the perfect opportunity to do an online course and improve your skills. Whether you want to learn a new language or gain some new technical skills, you have free time to do it now.

Build card castles

Of course, you can use the playing cards to play card games. But when you feel bored with playing, try to build a card castle. Click photos of your ‘architectural’ excellence and share them on social media.

Plan a treasure hunt for your kids

A treasure hunt at home can be entertaining for the whole family. Have fun setting it up. Then have more fun watching your family battling with your clues.

Start Gardening  

If you have a garden or potted plants, tend to them. Gardening will also help you relax and feel less anxious.

Capture the sky

With the humans trapped in homes, the air pollution has reduced and the sky can shine clearer now. Click some nice pictures of the sky from your home or garden. You can have even more fun by imaginatively editing them using smartphone apps.

Discover beauty in your home

Click interesting pictures of your plants or objects in your house. Try to discover surprising angles and make ordinary things look extraordinary.

Start Making Plan

Make plans you had been pushing away. You might be thinking of starting a new business. Or you want to renovate your home. Use the lockdown time to complete your plans.

Plan your next vacation

Here’s another plan you can complete while you are confined to your home. Gather all the information you need from the internet and plan out a perfect vacation for yourself and family.

Be social

Observing Social Distancing is important to be safe from the Coronavirus. But you can still stay in touch with your friends and family through your phone. Such social interactions can help you relax and improve your mood too.

Revive old friendships

Get back in touch with old friends you haven’t contacted in ages.

Bond with your family

Spend quality time with your family. When you sit together, be together. Talk, instead of staring at your phone. Enjoy family time.

Spread motivation

With the world under a pandemic attack, we all are feeling anxious and gloomy. At such a time, reading motivational and funny quotes can help in improving your mood. You can browse for them on Pinterest. And if you find something you love, share it with your friends and family. Everyone can benefit from motivation and smiles, especially in these trying times.

Enjoy the quiet time:

Life is a hectic race. Enjoy the quietness of these days. Just sit down comfortably and let your mind wander. But try to keep your thoughts happy and positive.

Do weird googling

Google using the weirdest phrases and see what you stumble upon.

Journal

Write a journal of the lockdown days. Pour out your thoughts and worries. Note down your experience of this extraordinary time. It will help you relax.

Sleep

We don’t realize how much sleep-debt we accumulate in our busy life. Sleep deprivation can lower your immunity and affect your physical and emotional health. So, use the lockdown days to rest yourself. Relax and sleep. Rejuvenate yourself to face the hectic days that will return once the lockdown is lifted. But don’t over-sleep either! Discipline yourself. It is very important to stay happy and healthy in the long lockdown days.

Conclusion:

With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the world, we are living through days that are almost too shocking to believe. At such a time, keeping your mood happy and morale high is important. You cannot step out of your home. But you can still have fun and stay busy in activities that are engaging, entertaining, and can help you stay healthy.

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Serious cases of COVID-19 are showing adverse effects on kidneys. So, people who already have impaired kidney functions and need regular haemodialysis are particularly vulnerable. In SARS and MERS-CoV infections, acute kidney injury occurred in 5 to15 percent cases and carried a 60 to 90 percent mortality rate. Early reports of COVID-19 suggested 3 to 9 percent incidence of Acute Kidney Injury. But recent reports show a more alarming picture. A study of 59 COVID-19 patients found that about two-thirds of patients developed a massive protein leak in urine during their hospital stay.

“Unlike other at-risk individuals, these patients do not have the ability to stay at home and not interact with others. Despite being high risk since they must travel to dialysis centers 2-3 times every week. This significantly increases the risk of transmission of infection, to patients themselves, family members, medical staff and facility workers, and all others,” says Prof Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director, George Institute for Global Health India and President of the International Society of Nephrology.

According to a paper entitled “The Novel Coronavirus 2019 epidemic and the Kidneys”, patients dependent on dialysis, and their family members need to strictly follow the precautions to stay safe from COVID-19. For patients on dialysis suspected to have been in contact with COVID-19, treatment should be carried out according to strict protocols. All efforts need to be made to minimize risk to other patients and healthcare personnel.

The directions mentioned in the paper include strategies of managing COVID-19 in patients on dialysis, recommended facility and staff management practices, proper management strategies for such patients, and recommendations for their family members and caregivers. All these recommendations, precautions, and protocols may help in the prevention of COVID-19 in patients with kidney disease, and better management if they catch the infection.

Check out The Novel Coronavirus 2019 epidemic and the Kidneys to know the best preventive measures and management protocol for COVID-19 in people with Kidney disease.

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On December 31, 2019, a new strain of Coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China. It is called SARS-CoV-2 and causes the disease called COVID-19. This new virus strain has quickly spread across the world and has affected almost 100,000 people. It has caused 3,300 fatalities so far. And if its spread is not contained soon, it will result in many more deaths.

So, what can you do to stay safe from Coronavirus?

When it comes to health problems, prevention is always better than cure. Here are the most important Dos and Don’ts you can follow to stay safe from Coronavirus.

Coronavirus Dos and Don’ts

Do follow these:

• Wash hands frequently and well with soap and water. Use alcohol-based sanitizer when you go out.
• Maintain good personal hygiene.
• If you have a cough or cold, you should wear a mask before you step out of your home.
• Maintain good respiratory hygiene. While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or disposable tissue. But if you have neither, cover your mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow. If you cover your nose and mouth with your hand, wash or sanitize your hand.
• If you suspect you have COVID-19 disease, consult the doctor immediately and stay confined to your home.
• And if you experience symptoms like cough, difficulty in breathing, or fever during or after travel, consult a doctor immediately. Inform them of your travel history.
• Take sufficient sleep and rest. Avoid stress. Exhaustion, lack of sleep, and stress can make you more vulnerable to infections.
• Eat a healthy diet, take plenty of water and other healthy drinks
• Keep your home clean and well-ventilated.
• Disinfect equipment used while handling animals.
• Wash your hands with soap after touching animals or animal products.
• If you wear a single-use mask, discard it safely after use and wash your hands.

Avoid these:

• Avoid going to crowded places.
• You must avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.
• Stay away from people who have flu symptoms. It’s advisable to keep a distance of at least one meter from such a person.
• Avoid traveling if you have a cough or fever.
• Avoid traveling to countries that are affected by Coronavirus.
• If you wear a safety mask, do not touch it once it is on.
• Avoid going to market places where various animals are kept.
• Avoid contact with sick animals, stray animals, spoiled meat, and waste/fluids in an animal market.

In addition, follow these food safety precautions if you eat meat:

• Don’t eat raw or under-cooked meat.
• Use different chopping boards or other utensils for raw meat and cooked food.
• Wash your hands carefully with soap after handling raw meat.
• Wash your hands between handling raw meat and cooked food.
• Don’t eat animals that were sick.

Basic protective measures against Coronavirus by WHO.

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