Look after yourself this lockdown
Just a few weeks ago I had thought that a little light had at last begun to appear at the end of the tunnel that was 2020. In a short space of time there has been a big about turn and whilst we still have the light of the vaccine ahead of us it is feeling like we have quite a trek to get through in the meantime. It can be hard to stay positive when life has been throwing challenge after challenge at us so I have put together these sixteen ideas for looking after yourself . I hope you find them useful and I'd love to hear about any other ideas you have.
With the news of the third lockdown in England I am closing the doors to my physical practice once again but rest assured that I am still here for online sessions and classes and will do all I can to continue to be of service. In the meantime why not choose one or two of these to help you get started in taking better care of you.
- Try to get a little fresh air and movement in your day. Getting outside and moving your body are good for both physical and mental health and at least help you feel you’ve achieved something.
- Plan in a healthy home-cooked meal and nourish your body with some good fuel. By eating properly, it can be a little easier to not just pick at the snacks. This might be particularly important if you overindulged at Christmas.
- Curl up with your favourite film or book if it is feeling like 'one of those days'. Give yourself that downtime if you need it and plan for something more actively productive tomorrow.
- Try to get yourself to bed at a reasonable time and reduce your screen time, particularly in the evening.
- Be mindful about how much news/social media you're exposing yourself to. It can be good to keep up-to-date or stay connected but too much doom and gloom can increase anxiety and stress.
- Make sure you’re drinking enough water. Staying hydrated is so important to keeping everything else working well and it can also help to reduce fatigue.
- Keep an eye on things like caffeine and alcohol intake or smoking, (if any of those are relevant to you). Even cutting down a little can make quite a difference.
- Give yourself some space for your feelings and emotions. Take a few minutes on your own to reflect, write in a journal or call or message a friend and let them know how you feel. If you don’t have the support you need why not book an online or phone session with me if that might help? These can be one-off or on a regular basis according to what you need.
- Listen to some of your favourite music or maybe try listening to a new track, artist or genre.
- Get on with a home-based task; getting something done that you’ve been meaning to get round to for sometime can give you a little energy boost. Start with one small thing though so you don’t overwhelm yourself.
- Spend a bit of time on one of you indoor or home-based hobbies.
- Plan a bit of a routine. How detailed this is will vary according to what works for you but having at least a rough plan if things have changed for you can help to give you some focus and sense of purpose.
- Book yourself an online course to learn something new or perhaps try an exercise class.
- Plan in a relaxing soak in the tub and long hot shower or a mini pamper session. Paint your toenails even though no one will see them: take some time to spoil yourself.
- Perhaps try some meditation or join an online session if you find it hard to do alone. There’s also loads of free stuff online so you can find something that works for you.
- Above all be gentle with yourself; this is not a time to beat yourself up or berate yourself for not achieving things. It has been a really tough year for most of us and whatever small things you can achieve are a little win to feel good about.