Healthy mind and body thoughts
As we move further into this pandemic of Covid-19, our lives have all changed in some form or other. Many people are now working from home or staying at home either alone or with family and children. Others are still working harder than normal to continue providing a service to those in need. Thank you to all those amazing people who are providing much-needed support in the community, health care and volunteer services.
Take a breath
Making time to just stop for a few minutes each day, take a few deep breaths and really appreciate how you are feeling. Make some time for yourself, get comfortable, close your eyes and just breathe. Notice your breath. Take time to feel your emotions and how that feels within your body. It’s much easier to cope with your emotions if you notice how you are feeling and deal with them rather than push them back inside and carry on. There are some great guided meditations on apps and Youtube which can help you to relax and keep focused. At first, you may think of all the other things you could be doing, but taking some time to stop and notice your breath and thoughts can be really grounding and relaxing.
Movement throughout the day
Do you get a chance to move around much during your day? Try to get your body moving during the day and try not to sit for too long in one position. Take regular breaks from the computer or from sitting down as your body will start to stiffen up with lack of movement. You could make reminders or schedule tea breaks during the day so that you remember to move about. During these breaks, stretch the body and loosen up tight areas. You could also try to incorporate movement by doing something you really enjoy such as gardening, dancing, home workouts, yoga or walking. Don’t make it a chore, by choosing to do something you really enjoy you will get lots of pleasure from it and feel happy after.
Mindful Eating
It seems like baking and cooking is giving people lots of joy and happiness at the moment which is great to see. Make sure you are not over-consuming through boredom and ask yourself ‘am I just bored or actually hungry?’ before you eat another biscuit or slice of cake! Whenever possible also try to eat healthy and nutritious food to help keep your body fuelled with lots of good vitamins and minerals.
Keeping in Touch
Keeping in contact with others and maintaining communications with people is so important for our well being. It’s good to pick up the phone, write an email or send a text message to the people in your life. Sometimes you will reconnect with people you haven’t spoken to for a while and rekindle friendships. We all need to stay connected with friends, family and our wider community and this helps us all remember that we are cared for and keeping contact can mean so much to us all. Hearing or seeing a friendly face can lift your spirits and help your well being so much.
Staying Positive
My heart goes out to all those who have lost their life due to this terrible virus and all the people who are working so tirelessly to help minimise the fatalities. To think that the whole world is going through the same thing and we are all in this together can be very overwhelming and sad. Watching the news and reading social media too often can create a feeling of despair and sadness. Try to limit when you look at news, so that you don’t become overwhelmed. If you can, try to look at the positives and find something to be happy about each day. You could keep a gratitude diary, and write the things you are grateful for each day. Anything big or small can be added to your diary such as the birds singing in your garden, seeing the sunshine, eating a delicious meal or talking to a friend and is a great way to notice the good things in your life and shift to a more positive outlook.
Stop comparing
Everyone is different. We all feel differently and cope in different ways. Some have mental health issues, medical issues, family or money worries. Everyone is finding their own way of coping, so be kind and thoughtful as we don’t always know the full story about somebody. Some people may find doing lots of exercise the only way to cope and others may feel pain just walking into the kitchen. Some may need to get outside every day for their mental health and others maybe putting themselves out to help people in need. Having all this time to think and reflect on life can be difficult and some hard decisions may be needed to be taken, so be kind to people who may be suffering on the inside whilst this is going on. Everyone is trying to do the best for the current situation they find themselves in and cope in the best way possible.
