I woke up today with mixed feelings. I tossed and turned in my bed, it was only 5.50am. My mind was going crazy – such a lot has happened in the last week since we left Valencia for a skiing trip in the Alps. Little did we know that Fallas would be the least of our worries this March. So I lay for another 30 minutes and then decided to get up. I am fortunate – I am not stuck in Valencia where the city is on restricted movement – I still can make choices about what I do in my daily life.
I got up and made myself a cup of tea and then decided to go sit outside for a while. My apartment in the UK is right on the river and the sunrise this morning was beautiful. As I sat there with the freedom I still have to move about, I reflected on the small things that we take for granted.
What do we miss?
How often in life we fail to miss the beauty of the world, the sunrises and sunsets because we are too busy getting on with our lives. We don’t take time out to “just be”, sit with ourselves and more importantly take time for ourselves. What if this pandemic is that very opportunity? Instead of focusing on what you’ve lost, focus on time to really see what you want. This time to slow down and learn. Ive heard it said that when we are bored we become more creative. Use this time to become
Get Creative
Do some colouring. I spent every day before and after skiing colouring. I had forgotten how mindful this is and its a great way to focus. Print stuff off from the internet if you can’t get out to get a book.
Do some knitting or crocheting. Learn a new craft. Be curious – start a project that you’ve been putting off.
Read
Reconnect with reading and maybe do some writing. You might not have access to real books but that’s no excuse.
Learn more Spanish.
Coffee with friends
Set up a facetime coffee group ( or Zoom ) connect with your friends face to face rather than text. I’ve already suggested this to my friends in Valencia. We all need to connect its important for our mental wellbeing and of course gossip!
Get moving…
There are so many great online platforms now for exercise that even when you are stuck in you can still do something. I love the yoga and pilates stuff and have been doing them daily for years. It’s really important to keep your body in good shape as this will have a positive impact on your mental health. A big stretch every day. There is so much fitness stuff online.
Relationships
So you are most probably not used to spending so much time inside and especially with your partner. Have your own time and space. Take turns to do the shopping – especially if you’re on restricted movement. Be patient and allow the other to sound off, be mad, be bored. Acceptance is the key. You’ve been flung together for however long this takes.
Families get creative, bake, play board games – learn something new. Connect with each other. Watch movies. Find out about your teenagers!
Positive stories
Let’s see more positive stories on social media. Positivity helps reduce fear and anxiety. Everyone is coping with this fear and anxiety in different ways – and this is definitely apparent on social media posts. Lets not judge – just have our own thoughts and acknowledge that people are genuinely scared.
Routine
Keep a routine going. It’s important to find purpose and meaning. Keep a journal and write down 3 accomplishments daily. Write down things that you are grateful for and re-read in times of despair.
Breathe – learn to meditate
I’ve put this last as I see this as the MOST important bit. We all breathe but when we have focused awareness of the breath its so much more powerful. I have practiced mindfulness and mediation now for over 10 years. I trained as a mindfulness teacher and I use mindfulness daily. I practice meditation every day and it has changed my life. I am much more self-aware and when I’m feeling anxious I find it really helps to settle my mind and my body sensations. Meditation helps guide me in the right direction and make better decisions.
So whilst you are stuck in your home try some mindful techniques –
- Focus on your breath – to start with breath in for 5 breaths and try to breathe out for 8. You can change this to suit yourself. Start with 5 minutes and build up. The longer you meditate for the better the response in the body. Insight timer is a great free app to use ( or get in touch for some 1:1 mindful sessions online)
- When you are doing a daily activity e.g brushing your teeth, having a shower, eating, drinking use that time to really tune in and notice. Notice the sensations, the way you react, how you feel when you tune into the new way of doing things. Become curious.
- If you have a balcony or garden, sit in the sun, get some vitamin D at least and feel the fresh air on your face.
Finally, this time will pass we don’t know when and we in the UK have no idea whether we will adopt a similar protocol to Spain. I’m not sure how long it will be until I’m back in Valencia. But we all can do things to help promote good mental health and acceptance.
If you need to talk about any mental health issues we are here.
Karen and Les x
Recent Comments