It is an unprecedented time for anyone born after 1945. With many countries in a national lockdown, and a ban on international travel, it is easy to feel as if you’re in wartime conditions. But it’s gone further. With social distancing and a recommendation to stay at home, it is a time when many of us feel completely isolated.
We are social creatures and humans crave human company. We are also used to going to work every day, not only giving us the social interaction we crave but something to occupy us. What may at first seem like an unexpected holiday can quickly become tedious. As the sense of malaise kicks in, you realise that you’re not built to stay indoors 24/7, you’re not used to spending 24/7 with your partner, kids are hard work when you don’t get any time away from them.
Not only are you bored but you’re annoyed you can’t meet friends, enjoy a drink down the pub, or even walk the dog twice a day. On top of all this you have the worry that you or your loved ones might catch the virus. It builds and builds and becomes stress.
You need to find ways to cope with the stress to make the situation more bearable and to make it easier to cope with the current conditions.
Exercise Daily
You can enjoy some outside time without flouting any lockdown rules by exercising outdoors once a day. It is important to stay healthy and now is a good time to enter into a daily routine. You may even find yourself coming out the other side of the Co-Vid 19 pandemic fitter than before it started. Whether you go for a run, a power walk, or to do some yoga in the park, stick to the social distancing rules.
Exercising outdoors is good because it tops up your vitamin levels, it works your muscles, and you’ll get a nice healthy boost of those endorphins that help keep stress at bay.
Remember though – do not go outdoors to exercise if you are self-isolating. You can still keep fit indoors during this period. You’ll find plenty of inspiration on TV and online for workouts you can do at home.
Stay in Touch
Stress can build when problems are left to fester or you internalise them. Everyone is sharing the same experience right now, but everyone handles things differently. It is important to share your feelings rather than grow anxious about them.
Thanks to modern technology, there are endless ways to communicate to avoid feeling alone. Staying in touch with family and friends regularly can be achieved through a simple phone call. Mobile phone companies are making things easier with special offers of free calls and other incentives, so check what’s available from your provider.
There are also plenty of ways to communicate face to face. Video calling apps like Zoom, Facebook chat, Skype, and Whatsapp are all easy to use. These also enable family and group activities.
Herbal Assistance
Sometimes we need a little intervention when stress creeps up on us. Some may enjoy a glass of wine while others turn to aromatherapy. Well being can start with something as simple as burning a candle infused with a scent known to induce stress relief.
Lavender is one of the most popular because it has soothing, calming properties. Chamomile and jasmine can help to calm your nerves while cypress, violet, neroli, and peach are good choices for anxiety. These can also be used as essential oils. Burn them, use them in the bath, or put a few drops on your pillow at night.
Coming right up to date with natural and alternative therapies, the legalisation of certain strains of hemp has brought the availability of CBD (cannabidiol) to the masses. Known for its calming properties, the benefits of CBD are wide-ranging. There are various ways to get these benefits without any need to smoke it, although vaping is a popular method. There are lots of different CBD edibles – such as gummies – or you can buy some hemp flower from Organic CBD Nugs and use it how you like. Making your own edibles with CBD products is a fun activity.
Stay Busy
If you are working from home, stick to your routine. Even dress as if you are going to work rather than sit around in your pyjamas all day.
If you are not working, find things to do. Binge watching TV on the couch is ok for a day or so here and there, but it will not stimulate your brain and there’ll be constant reminders that everything is not “normal”.
If you have children at home, you’ll need to find ways to occupy them too. Depending on their age, take advantage of any help there is to keep schoolwork/learning on-going, but also find fun things to do. Dust off those board games and have a healthy competition. Look on social media and popular sites for group activities people are participating in online – this is everything from dance parties to quizzes. Staying busy can be anything from working in the garden to all the family learning a new language.
Don’t let the situation get you down. Try to keep life as normal as possible and adapt to changing conditions. Stick to government guidelines and stay safe.
