How To Stay Sane During a Lockdown
The world is experiencing a global pandemic, the news is anxiety inducing and not being able to leave the house for anything other than food shopping and daily timed exercise is unnatural and stressful. I for one have not found the transition into lockdown life particularly easy however I know I am not alone in my anxiety as everyone is in the same situation. Over the last couple of weeks I have developed a few tips that have helped keep me calm and positive!
Keep a routine! In the first week or so I really struggled to get into a routine, I overslept, I overate and I spent all night watching Tiger King which had a big effect on my mental and physical health. Since getting into a routine of going to bed at a reasonable time, eating at regular meal times and waking up early to start my day, along with a few fun activities in between, I began to feel normal again! Your routine doesn’t need to be the same as mine so find what works for you and stick to it!
Set achievable and precise goals! If you are working from home, like myself, it can be hard to find the motivation to put down TikTok and pick up the laptop. I was extremely unmotivated with both my professional life and personal life, often spending great amounts of time on streaming apps and social media until I began to set goals for myself. I found that daily and weekly goals helped me, for example “Do one hour of social media optimization a day” or “At 12pm follow the Popfit team in a workout”. This does not only to those working from home but to daily tasks as well, like cooking or exercise.
Talk to friends and family! Everyone is experiencing the lockdown so we could all do with some love whether you call them, text them or FaceTime them. Talking is therapeutic, I know for myself that speaking to both friends and family lifts my spirit. My grandmother, who lives alone, and appreciates our chats enormously, always makes me laugh with her silly jokes. Not only will you feel more uplifted but I can guarantee that you will make someone else’s day!
Take a break from social media and the news! It is important to know what is happening in the world however I find that the negativity and constant reminder of death in the news is extremely anxiety inducing. I have not turned the news on in weeks and felt better for it however I am not encouraging avoiding it all together, I recommend limiting your intake. The same applies to social media, it is a black hole that I can’t escape! I can spend hours on Instagram and TikTok and not even realise. Limit your time or try a weekend without social media, you will find that your day opens up to a whole range of fun possibilities.
Do something fun! Aim to do at least one fun activity a day such as:
1. Colouring, not just for children, I love my colouring book and jazzy new felt tips!
2. Cycling, although some areas have been restricted there are still beautiful places to cycle through, it is a great workout and you get some time outside of the house. You don’t need to own a bicycle as pay as you go bikes are all around London.
3. Baking, not only is it a fun activity, to do with the whole household or alone, you get to eat what you bake! My easy recommendations are, (the very popular) banana bread, lemon drizzle cake and a classic Victorian sponge cake however you can bake whatever you imagine!
4. Exercise, not all will find this a fun activity but grab a partner or link up with your BFF’s on Houseparty and get your sweat on together to some loud music! You can also join Popfit online for their digital workouts, I know I have!
5. Cocktail making, similar to baking but not suitable for under 18s!
6. Drawing, painting or even sculpture, let your creativity out with all this free time!
7. Learn a language or take a course, I have been learning French with my partner but you can choose whatever language you like. I have also considered looking into courses in soap making and skincare, if there is something that interests you then pursue it.
8. Have a picnic, you don’t need a garden or to even leave the house just a blanket and some yummy snacks!