On Saturday (31st October) England got the news that we had been dreading; a second national lockdown. Far from ideal, but, of course, necessary. Now, back in March, no one really knew what Covid-19 was which meant it soon became a very scary time for many of us, so the first lockdown was very different. Not only were circumstances different, but so was the weather.
We were in late spring/early summer, so we were able to spend a lot of time outdoors if we wanted to and the nights were so much brighter, warmer and more inviting. Winter, however, is going to be a different story. Going out for walks or exercising outside isn't as enjoyable in the bitter cold conditions, so what will we do instead? Stay indoors, of course.
I'm one of those people who's mood is affected by that sort of thing. If it's dark and dull outside, I feel slow and sluggish. But if the weather is sunny and bright, my mood will mirror that, so spending all that time inside, waking up when it's dark and finishing work when it's dark isn't ideal when you're cooped up in the house for so long. So where this lockdown is different to the one back in March, it's not necessarily going to be any easier.
Now, just like most of England, I've learnt from the first lockdown and so I've decided to tackle this one a little differently to accommodate for the new season we're in. Where spending all my time outside is no longer feasible, I'll instead be going for longer walks with flasks of hot coffee until boyfie and I get the keys to our new home (another couple of weeks and that's it!).
Hopefully, some of the following things will give you some ideas and inspiration for how you handle lockdown yourselves. If there are any more you'd like to add, leave them in the comments below - it would be great to see how you guys are coping with the new restrictions!
Understanding the way I'm feeling
Everything you're feeling right now is normal - that's something I couldn't really get my head around the first time. I'd feel overly negative one day and then tell myself I was being stupid for feeling that way, when actually, it was a natural, perfectly understandable reaction to what was going on in my life at the moment.
It wasn't an easy ride for me, there we lots of hurdles to jump over, followed by one huge disappointment and then after that, I felt numb to it all, almost like I didn't really care what happened next (which wasn't true, but that was the general feeling I had). I just didn't really have enough energy left in me to care about anything else and it knocked my confidence and mental health quite a lot, looking back.
But if I hadn't have felt those things then, I wouldn't be where am now. I'm not thanking the situation I was in for that progression, oh no! I'm giving myself alllll the credit for the way things have turned around and I've never really been this proud of myself for anything (apart from when I got my degree) before.
So I guess my point is, no matter what I'm feeling, I should acknowledge it and not put myself down or call myself stupid for feeling a certain way, no matter how positive or negative my mindset is. Sometimes, that's all it takes. I've even found that some of those feelings don't even have to be justified in any way and I don't owe anyone an explanation for it either.
It's a highly personal thing, and I do talk to loved ones often about how I'm feeling, so there's nothing to worry about in that sense, but it really helps to talk things through with someone who fully understands and gets why you're feeling a certain way. It makes you realise that, actually, I'm only human and this is the appropriate response to the situation - sorted! That's what I'll keep in mind next time I'm having a particularly tough day.
Creating & sticking to a routine
I've been working from home, which helps massively in terms of a routine. Recently, my normal routine has been somewhat disjointed, thanks to an injury and the fact that I'm currently in the process of moving house. BUT, I find that having some sort of a routine to break up the day really helps to compartmentalise things, specifically your work/life balance.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but it's important that it remains separate from personal aspects of my life. It also helps to physically mark a work/life space in your house. For example, having a home office and closing the door on it at the end of the day, so the rest of the house is yours to chill out in. Your brain requires that level of separation in order to properly switch off, meaning you'll be even more ready for the next working day ahead.
Recently, my routine has been to get up and have breakfast and a coffee before 9am. 9am rolls around and I log on to do some work. 1pm is when I go for lunch, so I'll go for a run or I'll chill out in an area that I don't associate with work. At the end of the day, if I haven't been running at lunch, I'll go after I've logged off, or I might do a series of workout videos. If I went running at lunch then I'll do some blogging or just relax on the sofa with my family. After dinner, I'll go for a long walk with boyfie, because he isn't allowed to come into the house as we aren't a "household" or a "bubble", yet!
When we move into the house, my routine will likely change, but my point here is that it's important to still maintain some sort of routine, even if it's a little different to the one you're used to already. Give it some time and it'll soon be second nature to you.
Getting some fresh air every day
This, sort of, goes hand-in-hand with the routine point I've just made. I find that getting some fresh air does wonders for my mental health. I feel lighter, fresher, more alert and I actually have a more peaceful night's sleep at the end of the day. A quick walk lasting around an hour really does make a difference.
On top of walking everyday at the moment, I also go running, so that's definitely something I'll be keeping up over lockdown, if my injury gets better. Getting some fresh air doesn't just mean exercise, although it helps, I often feel better just sitting on the doorstep with a coffee at lunch, watching the world go by and saying hello to the neighbours.
No matter how I go about getting some fresh air down my lungs everyday, I will make sure to spend some time outside. Whether it be a few minutes on my own or a couple of hours walking around with my boyfriend, it'll really help my overall state of mind and quality of sleep and I'm all for that!
Trying new things
Let's face it, lockdown 1.0 was the time people experimented with haircuts, in the comfort of their own homes and with no hairdresser to point them in the right direction. So what better time to try new things than during a national lockdown?
I'm not talking about getting a drastic haircut by the way, I mean trying and testing interesting vegan recipes or getting through an autobiography or experimenting with certain fashion items and then trialling them in my local Sainsbury's where no one knows who I am because I'm wearing a mask, so I can get away with (potentially) looking like a prat - that kind of thing, ya know? (No...)
Spending cosy evenings with boyfie
As you've already guessed, we're moving in together this month, so I'm planning on spending my evenings snuggled up on the sofa with my favourite person watching cosy films and tucking into a tin of Roses (who remembers the coffee ones?).
***
I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know how you're planning on getting through this winter lockdown! I'll see you again really soon with a brand new blog post.
***
WHERE TO FIND ME
PREVIOUS BLOG POST
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Comments
Post a Comment