3. Keep Yourself Busy
Try to participate in activities you really enjoy, to retain some sense of normalcy in your life. Engaging in activities can help you to relax and take your mind away from the difficulties you may be experiencing, or simply imagining. Find time to unwind and remind yourself that these strong feelings will fade with time. During the isolation period, if you find yourself with more spare time at home, why not use this as an opportunity to do more of what you love: gardening, crafting, DIY, reading, writing, and painting… the list really is endless.
It’s also the perfect opportunity to learn a new skill like a new language or gain a qualification or certification for your next career move. From my point of view, as a Transformational Coach and Mindset Trainer, it’s certainly the best time ever to be learning about how your mind works and how you can become self-empowered, build resilience and hope. You can achieve this with books, online courses or by hiring a Coach. You will learn tools and strategies which will be useful throughout your life, with or without C-19.
Helping others in your community is another great way to keep yourself busy and really make a difference to those in need. It can be as simple as doing the shopping for a neighbour, cutting their lawn, walking their dog, shopping with local stores or giving to a food bank.
4. Exercise Your Mind and Body
You can be certain that physical exercise will help to burn off the extra cortisol released in your brain. This is a stress hormone which causes symptoms of anxiety and stress. After it’s released into your body, it needs time to be flushed out of your system and exercise will help accelerate this process.
It always makes sense to nourish your brain and body with quality nutrients which can significantly change the way you think and feel. C-19 has simply heightened the importance of taking care of our mind and body. Take this opportunity to cook fresh food, learn some new recipes, incorporate more fruit, salad and vegetables. Research the foods which can help to get your immune system into peak condition. Filling your body with the right nutrients can help you feel better, sleep well and have the energy that you need for optimal health and wellbeing. My own silver lining was to finally buy a smart watch which allows me to monitor my sleep and more importantly encourages me to ensure I take at least 10,000 steps every day.
Exercise may be the only way you can get out of the house, so take full advantage of it. Go for a walk (take a mask if it makes you feel more comfortable). If you’d rather stay at home, why not try some of the online classes like yoga, pilates, dancing, indoor cycling, low-impact and high impact fat burning? The key to success is making the activity you choose, good fun.
5. Take up Meditation or Mindfulness
Over the years, many of my clients have shared myths and misconceptions around Meditation and Mindfulness, consequently it may not be something you would usually consider. However, these are practices which anyone can do and today there is a format for everyone… checkout Walking Meditations, for example, download an app like Calm or Headspace (you can get basic versions for free). No matter which method you adopt, meditation and mindfulness are great ways to pacify your mind, enhance your sleep, and remain grounded in the present moment when overwhelming thoughts arise.
6. Spend Time in Nature
Research shows that being in nature for as little as 10-minutes each day can reduce our levels of stress and increase feelings of happiness. The sunshine can be a great way of boosting your immunity by topping up your Vitamin D levels. Simply being exposed to all of nature’s wonders stimulates the brain. Don’t just walk or cycle through the countryside, stop and enjoy it, soak it up, ponder on how amazing nature really is, and how little we know about it. It’s been suggested that spending a lot of time in natural surroundings can help people become creative and more productive when they return home. Short-term memory can improve and attention skills may be boosted.
