As we find ourselves in another national lockdown, you may, like a lot of people, be finding it tough and be experiencing feelings such as anxiousness, sadness, frustration or isolation.
How ever you feel about lockdown, it is important to remember that what you are feeling is a completely normal response to the situation and you are not alone.
The Reaseheath Wellbeing team has put together their top ten tips to help you during this challenging time.
1. Connect to others.
Not being able to see family and friends in person at the moment is definitely tough, but thanks to technology it doesn’t mean you can’t speak to them at all! Find time each day to call, text or, even better, video chat with people you would usually see, ask about how they are and talk about how you’re feeling too.
2. Get enough sleep.
Getting enough sleep is essential for our physical and mental health. It allows our body to repair itself, keeps our immune system strong, boosts our concentration and so much more. Aim for 8 hours sleep each night and enjoy all the benefits it will bring!
3. Exercise every day.
When you’re at home all day, without the need to walk between classes or to meet friends at breaktimes, it’s easy to stay seated at your desk for hours, without even realising! It is really important though that you make time to get up, move about and do some exercise. Walking outside in natural light and fresh air is so good for you, or you could try a home workout, do some yoga or practice your football skills in your garden. It doesn’t matter which form of exercise you choose; it will all help improve your health and boost your mood.
4. Limit social media / reading too much upsetting news.
Unfortunately, there can be a lot of upsetting news and negativity online these days, which can take its toll on your wellbeing if you read it too often. Of course, it’s good to keep up with what is happening in the world, but by limiting how much you read it each day, you’re giving yourself time to focus on more positive things, which is good for your mental health.
5. Be kind to others and help people if you can.
Remember this is a challenging time for everyone and we should all be helping other people when we can. Whether you reach out to tell others you’re thinking of them, or offer to pick items up from the supermarket for your elderly neighbours, these acts of kindness will go a long way. When you do something nice for another person, it makes you feel happy too; win-win! Can you think of something you can do today which would help another person?
6. Eat well and drink lots of water.
This one may be especially difficult if your home workspace is 6 feet away from the fridge, but eating the right foods and drinking lots of water throughout the day can help you to feel happier, boost your concentration and improve your health. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables and limiting your intake of foods like chocolate and crisps is a good place to start. Maybe you could spend time learning to cook a nutritious meal you’ve never had before and come out of lockdown as a cooking pro!
7. Maintain a normal daily routine as much as possible.
We know things are not ‘normal’ at the moment, and it’s easy for your usual routine to be disrupted as a result, including sleeping and eating patterns. This can be really unhealthy though for the reasons mentioned above, so trying to stick to your usually daily routine as much as possible will be much better for you.
8. Make a list of things you are grateful for.
When negative emotions start to take hold, it’s easy to lose sight of all that you have to be positive about. By making a list of these things or keeping a ‘gratitude diary’, you are reminding yourself of things that make you happy, which can help to balance out any negative feelings.
9. Find fun things to do at home.
Cook something you’ve never made before, learn a new skill, do something creative like drawing, make something from scratch, read a book, complete a crossword puzzle, watch your favourite films, listen to your favourite music… whatever it is you enjoy doing, make sure you do lots of it during lockdown and make the best use of this time at home.
10. Focus on the things you can control.
It can cause high levels of frustration and anxiety when we are faced with things we can’t control or when there’s uncertainty in our lives. To combat this, it is important to try and focus on the things we can control instead, like how you can help others, how you make use of the time during lockdown and your own approach to the situation we’re in.
We really hope that by trying even some of these tips, you’ll be happier, healthier and more positive as we navigate through lockdown. Please remember though if you are finding it hard, or need someone to talk to, we are always here for you! Current students can get in touch with a member of our wellbeing team or visit the BeWell sharepoint site where you’ll find lots of helpful information and advice.
We will also be inviting all Reaseheath students to our online Wellfest event which this year is being held on Tuesday 26 and Thursday 28 January 2021. You will soon be sent a link which you can use to access lots of helpful information and resources, details of charities who can help and many wellbeing videos and podcasts to support your wellbeing. We really hope you will be able to attend!
