LONG before the drudgery of pandemic life ever darkened our doors, I had a tendency for hypochondria.

I am terrible for typing a list of vague symptoms into Google and waiting for it to diagnose me like folk in the olden days used to do when they put their faith in back-alley quacks.

Recent weeks have seen much handwringing over an ambiguous clutch of ailments. I am not alone. My friend and I feverishly send WhatsApp voice memo notes back and forth, trying to make sense of why we are feeling off-kilter, overwrought and bogged down with a general malaise.

It goes kind of like this:

  • Maybe it is a cold?
  • Maybe it is coronavirus?
  • Maybe it is a sinus infection?
  • Maybe I am tired?
  • Maybe it is indigestion?
  • Maybe it is my period?
  • Maybe it is perimenopause?
  • Maybe it is a tape worm?
  • Maybe I swallowed a spider?
  • Maybe it is January blues?
  • Maybe I am dehydrated?
  • Maybe I need caffeine?
  • Maybe it is sugar cravings?
  • Maybe it is a vitamin D deficiency?
  • Maybe this is burnout?
  • Maybe it is cabin fever?
  • Maybe I need to exercise?
  • Maybe I should rest?
  • Maybe this is a midlife crisis?
  • Maybe it is a new variant?
  • Maybe my ponytail bobble is too tight?
  • Maybe it is concussion?
  • Maybe it is hormones?
  • Maybe it is too much screen time?
  • Maybe I am bored?
  • Maybe I need a new hobby?
  • Maybe I should get out more?
  • Maybe it is best to stay in?
  • Maybe I ate too much spicy food?
  • Maybe I’m craving fruit and veg?
  • Maybe it is allergies?
  • Maybe it is time for an eye test?
  • Maybe I need a new bra?
  • Maybe I have toothache?
  • Maybe I should get a grip?
  • Maybe I need to give myself a break. We are almost two years into a global pandemic.

In an attempt to nip this nonsensical spiral in the bud, I tasked myself with coming up with what wellness professionals might call “healthy habits” (and others would probably view as, err, common sense).

READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Novak Djokovic saga brought bittersweet taste of schadenfreude 

The trick, as I have learned from past endeavours, is to only tinker with a few things at any one time otherwise it feels too daunting.

But I was stumped about where to begin. Then the other day I read that Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon had come up with a handy quartet of simple suggestions:

1. Start the day with a big glass of water.

2. Get 10 minutes of outdoor light (Witherspoon cited the US-based Huberman Lab Podcast as recommending morning light as best).

3. Spend 30 to 60 minutes reading without distraction every day.

READ MORE: Susan Swarbrick: Am I becoming grumpy or is everyone very annoying?

4. In bed by 10pm. *no late-night TV binges. Try to get eight hours of rest!

To this I added a further one of my own:

5. Stretch.

And thus began my plodding journey towards, hopefully, a renewed vigour. Bleeeeurgh.

Our columns are a platform for writers to express their opinions. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Herald​