self care

What I do to beat lockdown blues

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding lockdown 3.0 a lot harder than its predecessors. I am unsure why it’s more difficult, perhaps because it feels a little bleaker this time.

I’ve written a blog similar to this before, but as my mood has evolved over three lockdowns, so have my ways of coping with the fact that I am not working as normal and running out of things to do. While I’m not alone in the house, my husband works in our study from 9am until 7pm at the earliest every weekday, so I don’t see anyone during this time and it can be lonely.

It got me thinking about those of you who live alone and whether you’re struggling to fill your time if, like me, you’re not working as normal. So, once again, here is what I do to stay busy – maybe you could take some inspiration from it to keep up your self-care and stay sane during this latest lockdown:

 

1.  Make the bed. I know it sounds simple, but on the days when you feel like you can’t face doing anything, just getting up and making the bed always makes me feel better. Albeit small, I feel by making the bed I’ve achieved something (my bed has two throws and a ton of scatter cushions, so feeling proud when I’ve made it isn’t such a crazy notion) and I can enjoy coming back to a beautiful bedroom later.

Seeing a beautifully made bed really perks up my spirits

Seeing a beautifully made bed really perks up my spirits

2.  Move your body. It doesn’t matter how you do it, or when you do it, but getting exercise will help you shake off feeling low. It is proven to release happy endorphins (or ‘dolphins’ as my mate calls them, which in turn makes me imagine happy, playful dolphins jumping out of the water in excitement whenever I get that feel-good rush from a workout) and help you feel more energised. I see a startling difference in my mood on days when I exercise from the days I don’t. On the days I don’t, I always try to at least do a stretch or meditation. Even a fifteen-minute walk or a gentle yoga video from YouTube will help you feel good.

Even when the weather isn’t as nice as it is in this photo, I still love getting out for a walk in fresh air

Even when the weather isn’t as nice as it is in this photo, I still love getting out for a walk in fresh air

3.  Write a blog or do a video. As you know, my business is closed, but I need to keep my name out there and my business going on, even though I can’t see clients. I try to do this by keeping my social media up to date and by writing these blogs or making videos. Of course, I’m not earning any money from this, but it means my business has adapted during lockdown and hopefully people will remember me when they can start booking treatments again. I also really enjoy it and even if nobody reads my work, it helps to keep my head in the game and feeling like I’m doing something. If you enjoy writing it can help to express your feelings and thoughts, so you could write a blog, or a diary/journal just for you.

Me writing my blog during lockdown 1.0

Me writing my blog during lockdown 1.0

4. Vision boards. If you don’t know what these are, they’re a creative way of setting clear goals for what you want. The way I do it is not on a board, I have a scrapbook that I fill with pictures of things that represent my life goals – words and pictures. The idea is that this vision book helps me manifest my goals. I get my photos from magazines and do a classic cut and stick job, but you could do exactly the same thing on Pinterest if you prefer. 

One of the pages of my vision book

One of the pages of my vision book

5. Light some candles. I find candles so soothing. I have loads dotted around my living room and I light them when I need a boost. I make a cup of tea, sit on the sofa and let the calming flames lull me into a state of zen.

Is there anything better than candlelight to soothe your mood?

Is there anything better than candlelight to soothe your mood?

6. Film night. Each night my husband and I watch a film (we alternate who chooses). We did this with my parents during lockdown 1.0 when we were ‘stranded’ in Dubai and it was fun. It’s a good way of seeing films you wouldn’t ordinarily choose and is something to look forward to during the day. If you live alone, why not do it over the phone with a friend or group of friends together on Whatsapp and suggest each person takes a turn to choose a film each night, each person watches it respectively at home and then you can discuss it afterwards.

Oh how I long to be back in a real cinema, but for now my living room will make do

Oh how I long to be back in a real cinema, but for now my living room will make do

7.  Do what you feel like doing. It’s so important to look after our mental health and the number one way I do this is if I really don’t feel like doing something then I won’t force myself. I don’t think wallowing for ages is good, but we all need a duvet day occasionally.

If you want a day in bed watching TV while chain-drinking earl grey then do it. You should never feel guilty for doing what you feel like. Of course, if you have children then duvet days aren’t easy, but there are variations of lazy days that you can take. Give yourself time and care because you cannot look after others unless you look after yourself.

Every day would be a duvet day if this was the view from my bedroom…

Every day would be a duvet day if this was the view from my bedroom…

8.  Look forward. For me, travelling is what I enjoy the most, so even though I’ve had a few trips cancelled, I’ve made sure to have a holiday booked to look forward to. Of course, everything I have paid for is flexible or refundable, so if I need to postpone then I easily can. It doesn’t have to be booking a holiday, it could be getting a date in the diary for April to see your best friend, or planning a socially distanced outside walk with someone next week. I think it perks us up when we have things to look forward to, so try arranging dates for when lockdown should be over and look forward to them actually happening.

Even though it’s a while away, just having a holiday booked in the diary gives me something to look forward to

Even though it’s a while away, just having a holiday booked in the diary gives me something to look forward to









Boredom busters in lockdown: the workouts, meditations, puzzles and TV that have kept me going (and my dog Badger too)

As lockdown continues, for those of us who can’t work as much as we did, it can be hard to keep the days from whirring into each other. I have lost count of the times I’ve mixed my days up and not had a clue what date of the month it is. 

We’ve all got our different ways to keep ourselves occupied, entertained or relaxed. But I wanted to share what I’ve done, as I thought it might be interesting, and it may give you some ideas if you’re struggling.

As a human, I don’t cope well with being bored, luckily I have my adorable dog Badger (who is in the photo above) to keep me company. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit it, but as well as snuggles with Badger, I need constant mental stimulation, otherwise I think too much and my mental health can suffer. Here is what I’ve done to try and keep the boredom at bay.

I’d be really interested to hear from you with what you’ve been doing to stay occupied in lockdown, so please do get in touch.

Jigsaws

This may sound like a slightly odd choice, but I’ve really enjoyed doing little jigsaws. I even managed to order one with my grocery shop that was double-sided, so I got two puzzles in one, and it had dogs on it – bonus! You can find jigsaws in lots of different online shops, but I got mine from Ocado.

Anything with a dog on it is a win with me

Anything with a dog on it is a win with me

Crosswords

At the start of lockdown, my husband and I got stuck in Dubai at my parents’ house. I’ve never really been in to crosswords, but my mum suggested trying one and we both really enjoyed it. She had a little book full of crosswords (and the answers at the back – thankfully, as we did need some help now and again!) that she bought ages ago and it was a real saviour when we were at a loss for what to do. Again, loads of online retailers sell crossword books, Amazon being the obvious one, but I think Waterstones also has a really good selection.

 

Meditation

Not everyone likes to meditate, but I think that it’s a really healthy thing to do. I don’t do it every day, but every now and again when I’m feeling a bit ‘meh’, I find a guided meditation on YouTube, lay down, close my eyes and let myself relax for half an hour. I always feel re-energised and motivated afterwards. These are some of my favourite meditations to watch for relaxation and help sleeping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lArtWtxPUw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iGWdUTifIQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyy0ra2WcQ

Meditation by the sea

Meditation by the sea

Netflix/TV

My favourite happy Netflix series

My favourite happy Netflix series

This might be a controversial suggestion, but I find watching a brilliant TV programme or film really helps me escape boredom. I don’t like to sit in front of the TV all the time, but every now and again I have a really lazy day where I ignore my phone, drink cups of earl grey and enjoy back-to-back episodes of whatever I feel like watching. Below are some of my favourite watches so far in lockdown:

For happy escapism – Gilmore Girls series 1-7 and Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life (Netflix)

For laughs – Gogglebox (Channel 4) 

For edge of your seat tension and absolutely brilliant writing – FAUDA (watch the subtitled version, not the dubbed one; Netflix)

A great film – Rocketman (wasn’t expecting to like this, but I loved it!; Sky movies)

A great story – Unorthodox (Netflix)

For dreaming of holidays – The Durrells series 1-4 (Apple TV and Netflix, but Netflix only has series 1 to 3)

For some good old British action – Bulletproof series 1 and 2 (Sky 1)

Indulge in a hobby

I don’t really have a specific hobby. I kind of envy people who do, as I think they must never be bored. However, I do have lots of interests that I want to explore further, so I decided to download the Masterclass app. I’ve done classes on cooking, interior design and gardening and it makes me feel like I’m being productive with my time. While I was in Dubai, I had a go at doing some mosaic, which was really fun as well. You don’t have to download an app, just think of something you’re interested in, have a search on Google or YouTube and learn more about it.

Indulging in my ‘hobby’ of baking… and having an accident with the electric whisk!

Indulging in my ‘hobby’ of baking… and having an accident with the electric whisk!

Exercise

I will be the first to admit that I don’t really like exercise. I like it when it’s done, but I usually always have to motivate myself to do a workout. However, since lockdown began, I’ve realised that if I want to eat cake for lunch then I need to get moving. I started off while I was in Dubai doing the ‘PE With Joe’ workouts on YouTube and soon got addicted. I love that they’re only half an hour long, but still make you sweat and really feel like you’re doing something. Since I got home, I’m still doing PE With Joe a few times a week, but I’m mixing it up by doing yoga and Body Pump online on days where I don’t feel like jumping around. It makes me feel so good afterwards and helps me stay motivated to do other things throughout the day.

 

Phone a Friend

If you’re anything like me, you’re not a lover of the video call. I don’t particularly like any kind of phone calls (I’m much more of a texter), but I’ve overcome this dislike during lockdown because I miss my friends and having a call with them always makes me happy. Everyone is in the same boat at the moment, we’re all missing our loved ones, so what better way to keep spirits up than by having a gin and tonic over Zoom or FaceTime on a Saturday night.

My friends and I on our weekly Zoom call.

My friends and I on our weekly Zoom call.

Self-care

I often buy myself fresh flowers. They bring me so much joy to have in the house.

I often buy myself fresh flowers. They bring me so much joy to have in the house.

I know this is the current wellness buzzword, but I genuinely believe the world would be a much better place if we all took some time out to give back to ourselves now and again and it’s a great way to say bore-off to boredom. Self-care isn’t about lighting some incense and looking through your third eye (although it absolutely can be if that’s what you’re into), it’s simply about taking some time every day to let your mind decompress by doing something that relaxes you and takes your mind off your worries. For me, I love ASMR videos (check out my previous blog if you don’t know what ASMR is) and listening to audiobooks (see my recommendations below*) or podcasts (I love Table Manners with Jessie Ware). It focuses my mind elsewhere and allows me to relax and clear my head of any negative thoughts that might have weedled their way in.

Even if it’s just buying yourself some fresh flowers, sitting down and having a cup of tea (or glass of bubbly…) for five minutes with your feet up, self-care is so good for you and even better for your mind.

*Audiobook recommendations: The Foundling by Stacey Halls, Soldier Spy and I Spy by Tom Marcus, The Corfu Trilogy (My Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods) by Gerald Durrell, The Secret Barrister (author unknown), The Cows and So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter, This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay and Becoming by Michele Obama.