The ECQ can be tough on one's mental health. Here are some research-based practices that can help improve one's well-being:

PRACTICE GRATITUDE. Studies have shown that being grateful makes us happy and can help us get through difficult times. Receiving gratitude has also been reported to make people feel valued and motivates them to be more generous.

You can practice gratitude in a multitude of ways. You can keep a gratitude journal where you can write down things you are grateful for on a daily basis. Being forced to think about these things can help you focus on the good things in your life.

You can also write a thank you letter to the people you are grateful for. You can do this through chat or call. If you have the means to send a letter to our frontliners, you may also do so. It will not only help boost your mood, but theirs as well.

RESETTING YOUR REFERENCE POINT. A reference point is a standard that determines how an information is perceived. We are constantly judging ourselves relative to others. Studies have pointed out the adverse effects of these social comparisons.

Social media has become a source of social comparison

So how do you stop these social comparisons? One way is the Stop Technique, which is being mindful when you are doing these comparisons and stopping yourself from doing them. Whenever you catch yourself comparing, just say "stop" loudly.

This causes your brain to take a moment and process what happened because it is not the habitual thing to do.

Another thing you can do is change your news feed. Unfollow people and pages that set these unrealistic standards that make you feel bad about yourself.

STOP MIND-WANDERING. The ECQ has provided us with more time on our hands than usual. This can be a problem as it allows us to think more about stuff that makes us feel bad.

So how do we stop mind-wandering?

MEDITATION. Studies have shown that meditation stops mind-wandering and makes people happier and feel more socially connected.

Make meditating a habit. This is the one that I have been listening to for the past week. You can find it (and others) on SoundCloud.

EXERCISE. Engaging in physical activity has been proven to be effective in boosting one's mood and cognitive ability.

Find the time to exercise. You can do it alone or with family members. You can even do group exercise with friends via video call if you want.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP. Sleeping only for five (5) hours per night has been reported to lead to mood disturbances.