Remember when we thought the pandemic would be over in two weeks?

Nearly a year after shutdowns began, there are few signs that it will all be over any time soon. And that uncertainty, compounded with grief, health fears, isolation, cold weather, less-than-optimal remote work setups and virtual learning, is taking its toll.

In a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11% of Americans reported experiencing symptoms of stress and anxiety in the first half of 2019. That number rose to 42% by December 2020. In a study from early Feb. 2021, the American Psychological Association found that 80% of adults consider the pandemic a significant source of stress in their lives. And Boston University recently found that COVID has tripled the rate of depression across all adult demographics.

While staying home was, in some ways, a welcome change of pace, it’s weighing on us. (If you’re concerned about your mental health, or that of a family member or friend, contact a health professional immediately). Now is the ideal time for a self-care reset, ahead of the 12-month milestone.

“If you get irritable faster, stressed more quickly or anxious way more easily, those are signs of burnout,” says wellness expert Blake Livingood, a doctor of natural medicine and author of several books, including Livingood Daily: Your 21-Day Guide to Experience Real Health. “If you’re skipping exercise, eating poorly and taking on a lot of mental stress, your body won’t build resistance to stay strong, which leads to a breakdown.”

Here are five areas to concentrate on to preserve your physical and mental health.

Catch some ZZZs.
It’s an obvious one, but there’s a good chance you’re not getting enough shut-eye. Sleep is essential for allowing the body to rest and repair itself. Without quality sleep, you’ll feel run-down and irritable and find it more difficult to make healthier choices. According to The Sleep Foundation, short-term effects include slowed thinking, reduced attention span, lethargy and mood changes. Over time, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hormonal abnormalities and depression.

After months of COVID stress, you may have a few of the short-term symptoms, which can cause problems down the line. Limit screen time as well as alcohol and caffeine consumption before trying to sleep, make improvements to your physical surroundings (including investing in a weighted blanket and replacing your old mattress and pillow), limit light in the room, exercise during the day and don’t eat too late. Optimal time asleep is seven to nine hours.

“Meditating before bed can help with the quality of your sleep,” says Alex Montagu, founder of The Tranquil Lawyer and a certified meditation and mindfulness instructor. “Even if you get the recommended nightly hours of sleep, lack of deep sleep may contribute to further stress and you’ll likely feel tired the next day.”

Montagu recommends doing this breathing exercise nine times before going to sleep: Inhale deeply, feeling your stomach rather than chest rising, hold for 10 seconds, then exhale slowly with the whole body for another 10 seconds. “Bring your full attention to it,” he says. “Adapting a consistent meditation practice has been shown to help reduce long-term stress and anxiety.”

Aim for nutritional balance.
After months at home, the novelty of trying healthy recipes may have worn off and chances are, takeout choices nowadays might favor convenience rather than nutrition. Turn over a new leaf by purging the processed foods from your cabinets and fridge and developing a meal plan over the weekend for the following week. Go shopping (or have it delivered) and prepare what you can on Saturday and Sunday so it’s just a matter of pulling it out and reheating when the time comes. You might even consider a meal kit service like HelloFresh or Blue Apron to cut down on the time spent shopping.

Help yourself make healthier choices by choosing what to keep in arm’s reach of your workstation. If you’re getting the munchies, choose a carrot or a bowl of berries rather than a chocolate bar (though it’s OK to indulge once in a while).

“While a little bit of comfort food now and then might serve a purpose, eating too much of it may only make you feel worse,” says Dr. Bradley Nelson, a holistic physician and author of The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions for Abundant Health, Love and Happiness. “Eating healthy food has a way of making you feel lighter, which may support a more positive outlook. Also, get plenty of vitamin C.”

Reduce sugar, eat more healthy fats (like whole eggs, avocados and fatty fish like tuna and salmon) and control portions, says Livingood. “Taking these steps can take pressure off your bodily systems as you try to recover from stress,” he says.

Don’t forget to drink water throughout the day (15.5 cups for men and 11.5 cups for women daily, according to the Mayo Clinic). If you need help with nutritional balance and planning, consider consulting a dietician. You may also want to get your vitamin levels checked with a routine blood test.

Get moving and find the sun.
Your mood and cognitive functioning will improve immediately once you incorporate exercise into your routine. Start the day off right with a morning walk to get some sunlight. Especially if you’ll be stuck inside working for most of the day, seeing the early sun firsthand will help with stress and anxiety, says Wade Brill, a certified mindfulness coach. “It becomes a fun game and helps you move your body first thing in the morning, which helps stimulate your brain and activates your energy,” she says.

For busy salespeople, a simple walk during the day may be the ideal method for reenergizing the mind. Consider taking one during lunch, for a cognitive reset for the rest of the day. And if kids and dogs are around, bring them along too.

Finding time to get outside may be difficult during the busy workday. In that case, minimize your inbox and open up YouTube for countless exercise options. If you occupy a small space, choose apartment-friendly routines. Even just 15 or 20 minutes of aerobics or dance will do wonders for your mind. After work or on the weekends, make peace with the winter weather and go ice skating, sledding with the kids or cross-country skiing.

Speak kindly to yourself.
With all these good habits in place, you can still undermine your own health with negative self-talk. Say you feel stressed about not always being as productive as possible, or guilty about not being a perfect parent, or even ashamed of feeling anxious. Those recurring thoughts can set you back in your self-care routine, and they’re compounded by anxiety and stress, which perpetuates the vicious cycle.

“When we’re over-stressed, we begin to lose confidence,” says Livingood. “We tend to get overly anxious or ashamed of our abilities and work. That shame can lead to further isolation and further reinforcement of burnout.”

Instead, as soon as you wake up, repeat positive affirmations to yourself, like, “I am a hard worker,” “I am valuable to my team,” “I am a good parent” and “It’s OK to feel stressed.” Before beginning the day, sit with those affirmations and repeat them to yourself, and practice mindfulness and gratitude.

“Starting the day with a positive affirmation can really help you keep your mind in a happy place for the rest of it,” says Nelson. “Your morning routine could set you off on a positive or negative foot for the next 16 hours, so be mindful of it.” Plus, having a positive outlook and expressing it inwardly to yourself and outwardly to others can bring up the mood of the entire household.

“It may seem easier to hunker down,” says Nelson. “But try to get out, exercise, run errands, volunteer or do something fun. Organize a ‘winter blues’ group, where you rotate locations and plan fun, uplifting events and activities with others.” On those days when work is priority number-one and leisure time is a luxury, consider using a “happy light” to replicate sunlight – it provides vitamin D and helps with energy and focus.

However, if the endless cold weather is getting to you and you’re showing signs of depression (such as fatigue, hopelessness, social withdrawal and the like), it could be Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which affects about 10 million Americans and four times as many women as men. If you think you may have SAD, it’s important to take additional steps.

“It’s more than just being down about the cold and gloom,” says Nelson. “If you suspect you have SAD, you should talk to your doctor.”

Mix it up.
As stressful as commutes are (or were), they do create a natural separation between work and home. Now that the two are one, we’re having a hard time compartmentalizing the stresses of both.

Consider creating a “mini commute” for yourself, says Brill. Create rituals in the morning and evening that transition you into and out of work mode, and, if you work from home, appreciate not having to contend with rush hour traffic. “See if you can sink into the slower pace and allow yourself to rest,” she says. “Notice that you can have energy and focus without the hustle.”

Once you finish the day, close it out by making a list of what needs to be done the next day and take into account your natural energy levels. “It’s the magic power of list-making,” says Martha Munroe, a mental wellness expert and coach. “Knowing what needs to be done, and which tasks you can do if your energy is low, can help you manage both time and energy. Knocking off a few important tasks in the morning can give you the momentum you need to jumpstart the rest of your day.”

Don’t forget to schedule in ways to break up the monotony, which sits heavy on our shoulders a year into COVID. “Find new material to read, reach out to friends, switch up your exercise routine and try new foods,” says Annie Varvaryan, a licensed clinical psychologist. “There are lots of ways to make each day feel a little different, and that could be helpful in keeping things interesting and reducing stress.”

But that’s often easier said than done in Western culture, where we’re taught to pride ourselves on constantly producing (and then feeling guilty for putting our feet up for five minutes). To counteract that, Stephanie Jean Andrews, author of The Mindful Hobby: A 30-Day Journey Into the Power of Hobby as Self-Care, advocates for the power of hobbies and play as a form of physical and mental wellness. Learn a new game, try your hand at watercolors, work through a cookbook you’ve yet to crack open or use an app like Duolingo to start learning a new language.

“Designating time for hobbies gives me something to look forward to and a newfound sense of creative control,” she says. “We’re often told to relax, but we get frustrated and feel like something’s wrong with us for not knowing how to. Hobbies help adults learn how to play again. It’s a tangible form of rest and relaxation.”

Get your kids involved in activities as much as possible, and consider creating competitions during the day, says Varvaryan. For example, the first person who finishes their math homework (with correct answers) gets to pick that night’s movie. Or reward quiet during Zoom calls with extra dessert after dinner. Most importantly, show them that it’s OK to take breaks from work.

“Let go of that expectation that you can always be ‘on’ and the guilt around not always feeling productive,” says Munroe. “Have tasks set up that you can do when you’re feeling less inspired and know that it’s OK; you’re human, and it’s a hard time right now.”