Many people are spending more time than usual indoors right now due to the ongoing issues with the pandemic.
Working from home is common now right now, and the prevalence of at-home work is only going to increase in the coming years.
While there isn’t anything inherently wrong with any of that, it can be problematic to feel like you have to spend all of your time indoors.
For many people, spending so much time inside recently has been bad for their mental health.
1. Not Getting Enough Sun
Seeing the sun is actually more important for your overall health than you might realize. Sometimes your sleep patterns can get thrown off when you go days without seeing the sun.
You see, every human operates on a 24-hour circadian cycle and this cycle is influenced by seeing the sun in the morning. A lack of sunlight exposure can lead you to have the cycle get thrown off, and people will sometimes experience insomnia.
It’s a lot easier to get depressed and feel sluggish when you’re keeping odd hours. You might wind up having a harder time falling asleep at night, and this can harm your productivity the next day.
It creates a cycle where you aren’t feeling your best, and it isn’t always easy to snap out of it. It’s usually a lot easier to maintain a normal circadian rhythm when you’re spending a certain amount of time outdoors each day and you’re seeing the sun in the morning.
Vitamin D is important and everyone normally gets some vitamin D through sun exposure. If your vitamin D levels are very low, then you’re going to feel substantially more fatigued than usual. You might be tired and unable to focus on the things that you need to do.
It can even make it easier for you to feel depressed or anxious in some cases, too, and this is why you should consider whether a vitamin D deficiency is partially to blame for how you’re feeling.
2. Lack of Exercise
People who spend a lot of time indoors might have difficulties getting enough exercise as well. While you certainly can exercise at home, not everyone has a lot of space to utilize indoors.
You might have a hard time finding a satisfying exercise routine at home. Many people wind up exercising a lot less when they spend a lot of time indoors.
Spending time outdoors and going for walks can make you feel a lot better. Many find it easier to maintain good mental health when they spend a bit of time exercising outdoors each day.
Breathing the fresh air helps you out, and you can also feel freer to move around than you will indoors. If possible, you might wish to try to turn things around by finding exercises that you can do safely outdoors.
3. Lack of Social Interactions
Spending all of your time at home and indoors will limit the number of social interactions that you have each day. Humans are social creatures, and it’s going to be normal for you to want to spend time with others.
If you’ve been shut inside for a long period of time, that can lead to being depressed. When you aren’t seeing your work friends and other people that you’re used to socializing with very much, that’s going to have an impact on your mental health.
What Can Be Done?
If you know that your mental health is suffering a bit due to spending too much time indoors, then trying to get outdoors a bit more often is a great idea.
There might be factors limiting what you can safely do right now, but you could still at least try to go for walks and do other safe activities. It’s also important not to cut yourself off from others.
Maintain a social circle and reach out to your friends and family when you need to talk. If you feel depressed or anxious, then looking into therapy options can help you to get through what you’re experiencing.
It isn’t easy to feel like you’re stuck indoors, and sometimes this can lead to problems with your mental health. Even so, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to feel like you need to face things by yourself.
Understanding online counselors can help you to turn things around over time. You might be able to get outdoors more often as well.