Quarantine was hard on all of us. But it was especially hard on women. 

From domestic care expectations skyrocketing to women being disproportionately laid off, the disastrous effects of COVID-19 did not stop at just the virus.

Now that the public and private sectors are reopening, kids are returning to school, and people are going back to work, it's time to do a health check-in. Women made drastic mental, physical, and emotional sacrifices over the course of the pandemic in order to keep relationships and families, work and career, and lifestyle and health all balanced. 

It's time to prioritize you by getting your health back on track. Whether that means visiting a center for alcohol detox in Richmond, VA, or doing a green juice cleanse in Malibu, CA, make summer 2021 your summer of renewal.

Follow this guide to restoring your mental, physical, and emotional health after quarantine.

Mental Health

In April, a study conducted by the University of Chicago Medicine found that women had “alarmingly high rates of mental health problems” caused by the pandemic. That included everything from depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder getting worse, or surfacing for the first time.

What caused this unprecedented spike? Again, a number of things. 

Women all around the world dealt with food scarcity, foreclosure and homelessness, unemployment and wage stagnation, interpersonal violence spiked as people were forced into cramped cohabitation, and more.

One fantastic way of improving your mental health is to check with your insurance and see about getting a therapist. 

Many women benefit from seeing a therapist once and then seeing a psychiatrist before they return for a second session. 

Therapists deal with you developmentally, and psychiatrists deal with you cognitively and chemically. Fitting these two pieces together can get you back on the path toward a healthy and balanced state of mind.

Physical Health

Women also suffered from a spate of physical conditions over the pandemic, including increased rates of cancer, hyperthyroid, diabetes, heart disease, and gastrointestinal issues. 

What underlies all these conditions? Stress.

Quarantine brought on a more stressful time than was imaginable for most folks. Our jobs shifted us back home full time. We were now working where we ate, slept, lived with our partners, and raised our children. Mixing that many frames of mind into one space makes it difficult for anyone to delineate it all and maintain a healthy balance.

While some doctors will focus on the surface level toll that stress takes on the body, including poor skin, weight gain, and hair loss, what you should really focus on is how you feel. 

That doesn't mean shaming yourself for eating this or that or putting yourself on a punitive diet, but making sure you get an hour of sun on your skin each day, drink 8 glasses of water, and have at least one green vegetable a day.

That's easy!

Emotional Health

Often an emotional dive is a precursor to a dive in mental and physical health. Emotional unhealthiness looks like self-critical thoughts, introverted social patterns, and compulsive behavior.

None of that will help you get back to your true self. To really get hold of and improve your emotional health, try going on an hour-long walk with your phone on silent. 

Getting away from screens and into nature will remind you of your natural place in the order of things, and take the stress off your shoulders.

Getting Back to You

Reclaiming your health means getting back to the best version of you possible. You deserve to live in your healthiest truth every single day.