Being Mindful: Deepak Chopra shares 5 tips on coping with self-isolation during the coronavirus crisis

As many work to create routines in quarantine, it can be difficult to adjust to a new normal at home. Yahoo Life previously sat down with mindfulness expert Deepak Chopra to explain how focusing on the present could help us survive the coronavirus crisis. This week, Chopra shares five tips for our readers on how to best cope with stress and isolation during the pandemic.

Chopra’s first tip to cope with stress is to get a good night’s sleep as “sleep allows the body to repair itself.” While it may seem more difficult than ever to quiet your mind at night and give yourself the rest you need, try to aim for at least seven hours of sleep each night in order to fully reap the benefits.

Chopra’s second tip, practicing meditation, yields a long list of benefits, including an improvement in sleep. Not only does meditation increase your energy during the day, but it also allows you to get “in touch with your soul.” He explains how meditation is a form of stress management that “activates self-healing in the body, what we call homeostasis.” Virtual wellness sessions such as Chopra’s and Oprah Winfrey’s 21-day meditation experience may be a useful resource for exploring a meditation practice.

Chopra goes on to share how meditation also helps to improve our relationships, as it makes you more conscious of them. This leads to his third tip: “Focus on relationships even in these times of isolation.” Although we can’t physically be together right now, technology has given us a number of ways to stay connected to one another in meaningful ways. Chopra reminds us that showing affection, appreciation and acceptance for the people in our lives is possible and beneficial, no matter the distance between you.

Chopra encourages people to try to take 10,000 steps a day, even in isolation. “If you can’t do that, then stand up every hour and walk around for 4 to 5 minutes so you get your body moving,” he says. In addition to movement, Chopra advises being mindful of your diet, and avoiding processed food.

Video Produced by Stacy Jackman

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.

• What to do if you think you have the coronavirus

• What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

• Glossary of public health terms to stay informed

• The most common ways the coronavirus is transmitted

• How to maintain your physical and mental health during the pandemic

• Taking care of a loved one with COVID-19? Here’s how to stay healthy

• COVID-19 and pregnancy: What we know so far

• How to find a job, unemployment insurance

• Q&A with Dr. Kavita Patel: How to keep your family safe and maintain your mental health

• Opening and cleaning delivery packages

• Tips for grocery shopping

• How to deal with potentially contaminated money

• How to do your laundry safely

Read more from Yahoo Life:

• Multiple states have declared a ‘state of emergency’ over coronavirus — an expert explains what that means

• What is community spread? Experts weigh in on how to prepare for coronavirus

• CDC urges at-risk Americans to ‘take action’ by stocking up on food and medicine for coronavirus

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