Let’s be honest, lockdown really isn’t that great. Understandably, it’s there for a reason, but it’s getting increasingly tougher for a lot of people to stay positive during this time. But staying positive is so important. With all the tragic things that are happening in the world as a result of coronavirus, now might seem like an unusual time to talk about being positive. However, staying positive is a core ingredient in the recipe of being able to successfully cope in this crisis.
We need to focus on the small positives that come from our daily lives. Things like getting out of bed on time, making our bed, having a normal morning routine (e.g. make bed, shower, eat food etc.), these are all positive things. We need to focus and create small moments of happiness in our days, as positive emotions help us to undo the negative effects of things. Things like stress, unhappiness, anxiety are all major emotions that people are dealing with, so it’s important that we find a find a way to deal with this.
Savour the Small Moments
Enjoying the small moments will really help you to stay positive. Even during lockdown, you still have many small moments to savour. Things like the smell of coffee, the feel of a warm shower on your back, a good cup of tea right before bed and so on. When you take a moment to enjoy these small things, you are giving your brain a chance to process the pleasure, which boosts your serotonin – this is what boosts your mood and makes you feel calmer. There are too many things that people are stressing about nowadays, so it’s important to try and remove this stress and worry when we can.
You already have plenty on your mind that you are worrying about, even going to the shops can be a stressful time now. You enter the shop and you don’t trust anyone around you. But you have little to fear, just make sure to wash your hands when you enter or leave a building, you can even purchase things like this Hand Sanitizer Canada has for sale, make sure to wear a mask and to also distance yourself from others. This way you can always have something on you to help you get rid of any germs you get in contact with. This should hopefully help you destress a little bit, but just remember, if you can also savour those small moments, then you won’t become as stressed and anxious.
Strengthen Your Connections
Lockdown is a boring time, but it’s the perfect opportunity to strengthen your connections with your family members and friends. If you are enduring lockdown with your family, then this is the time to spend quality time with your loved ones. Take the time to hug your kids and partner (just remember if you’ve been outside to wash your hands so that you don’t spread germs to them). You should look them in the eye, have long conversations with them, play board games if you can. Just spend time with them.
All of these gestures will help promote closeness and boosts your oxytocin (a hormone that bonds people and also has a calming effect on the body). When this hormone spikes, it tells the body to switch off the stress hormone, so this can help you feel a lot more positive in your day. If you find it stressful leaving the house, for things like work (if you still have to work), or even a simple food shop, then strengthening your connections can be a simple way to help. Just remember to clean up after yourself, wash your hands regularly (or use hand sanitiser) and change your clothes when you get home if you are coming back from work.
Meditation
If you are still finding it hard to de-stress, then meditation might be the answer for you. Even just doing a few minutes of meditation can help calm your mind, however, don’t expect any miraculous changes. If you have children in your household, then you can also encourage them to join in meditating with you. However, don’t force them to if they aren’t interested. If they are interested, then this can be a great way to strengthen your connection with them as well though.
Meditation isn’t just sitting crossed legged and controlling your breathing, it’s all about mindful exercises. Even washing the dishes can be seen as a mindful exercise. If you do household chores with joy and awareness, it becomes a meditation exercise. Gardening combines mindfulness with physical activity and so does yoga. These are all things that you can do to help you feel more positive in your day.
Don’t forget it’s still important to go about your day like it was any other normal day (except for the fact that you are stuck at home). But it’s still important to make sure that you get up and out of bed and do something with your day. Don’t just sit around in the dark and do nothing. If this is something that you struggle with, then start off your day by making your bed and getting changed. Getting out of your bed clothes can change the way you feel, so really you have no excuse to not be stylish whilst staying at home! Just take things one step at a time and you’ll be fine!
Comments are closed.