Coronavirus: How to live well in Lockdown
England is entering a new general lockdown to stop the coronavirus pandemic. An exceptional situation that can be difficult to live mentally, for some, working from home or living alone it can be quite easy to neglect our wellbeing. To help you to take care of your wellbeing, Here are 10 top tips for wellbeing while you are in the lockdown.
For people who are already alone, the lockdown measures add loneliness. It is time to reconnect with friends, family, or co-workers. To break the isolation and see your loved ones, remember there are other ways of communication than meeting in person are available such as, phone, zoom call or face time.
It can be helpful to devote one or more moments in the day to communicate and get in touch with loved ones. Also reserve other moments to do something alone and take care of yourself by doing pleasant things and also create a safe and positive living environment by cleaning, tidying up, re-setting up your space and taking care of your wellbeing.
1. Get plenty of sleep
Sleep is important for your mental and physical wellbeing, getting the recommended hours of sleep (7-9 hours) can ensure you start your day off energised.
2. Create a daily routine
Whether you are working from home, or adjusting to life within your 4 walls, it’s important to maintain a routine. Starting off your day just by getting up as soon as your alarm goes off and making your bed can help to set you up for a successful day. Waking up at a consistent time every morning or making your favourite breakfast encourages productivity to get started on your to-do-list.
3. Create To-Do lists
Leading on from our last tip, To-Do lists are a good way to stay organised and feel productive throughout the day. Whether you write it down or use an app on your phone, working through what needs to be done for the day can help fill up chunks of time, keep you focused and seeing each task being completed will aid you in feeling accomplished – no wasted days here!
4. Exercise
It is recommend to participate in exercise once per day, from staying inside to do yoga or going for a local run – if you are leaving the house to exercise please ensure you are adhering to the social distancing guidelines.
5. Healthy distractions
During downtime, keeping yourself occupied can help to take your mind off of the crisis. Such as taking the time to listen to music, reading a book, watching a TV-Series or playing a game.
6. See your friends and loved ones
Video calling with your friends and family is a good way to maintain your relationships. Even if you can’t see them in person, connecting with them online will still enable you to interact and have some face time.
7. Hobbies & Wellbeing
Getting back into an old hobby or even starting a new one can help to improve your mental health. From walking, running or cycling to knitting or painting, there are many options available – ordering materials via online retailers to your home can help to aid in pursuing a new hobby.
8. Upskill
Taking the time to hone existing or new skills can feel rewarding. You can visit our website and browse our free courses so you can learn new and helpful skills.
9. Limit your social media intake
Avoid continuous refreshing of news feeds about the current crisis we are facing, as this can be mentally taxing and can course anxiety.
10. Take each day as it comes
Make sure to take things day by day and try not to look too far into the future. All of us are waiting to see what’s coming next and uncertainty can definitely be mentally exhausting and not to mention daunting. Looking forward to tomorrow means we can manage our expectations, rather than worrying about how long it will be until the world is back in order.
Remember We are all in this togetherÂ
Managing your mental health is so important, especially at a times like this, with the unfortunate inevitable increase in mental health issues due to this crisis, don’t hesitate to ask for help, reach out to friends and check on your friends too.
Here are few helpful website where you can find help and support.
https://www.mind.org.uk/
https://www.samaritans.org/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/
As we go into our second lockdown Free2Learn is still delivering courses, as normal with government guidelines, over the next 4 weeks, whether that be online or at one of our locations. Go to: https://free2learn.org.uk/courses/ to see which courses inspire you to achieve your goals this lockdown!
