Written by Shaz Memon
For many, it is work as usual. But for the dental industry, this is a situation far removed from their day-to-day practice environment.
With the help of dental professionals and experts, we have put together a guide to staying stress free as you say goodbye to the practice (for now) and work together to make a difference.
During this unsettling and uncertain time, these tips are designed to help dental teams maintain their health, wellbeing and happiness.
Keep exercising
Fitness is always important when it comes to keeping stress-free and healthy. But, for many of you, your daily commute may have included a 20-minute walk or a stroll to the supermarket to pick up some lunch. It’s crucial to keep these routines a part of your day – not only to stay fit, but to keep the cabin fever at bay.
As we all attempt to juggle various elements of our life, it can be easy to fall out of sync with our usual routines. Although gyms and exercise classes are closed for the foreseeable future, this does not mean that you have to be glued to the sofa. And if you are not usually a fan of exercising, this could be a great time to start. Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep your body moving.
Alongside practising as a dental hygienist and therapist, Pat Popat is a gym owner. For him, exercise is key to keeping stress away. He believes incorporating an exercise regime into your new daily routine will help both your physical and mental health.
He said: ‘The predictability of a daily routine can offer some comfort in an otherwise currently unpredictable world.
‘We have to be a little bit careful not to get too stuck in our routines that they start to cause us stress, or stop us from doing the things that we want to do.
‘As long as we’re finding our routines helpful and not harmful, and feel able to flex and change them as our life changes, they can be a great thing to build on and develop over time.’
