A Guide to Maintaining Your Mental Health during Lockdown

Hello everyone!
Wow, it’s still hard believe the times we are living in. I was recently asked to write a post for wellness blog called Talks with Humula on maintaining one’s mental health lockdown. So in-case you have been feeling unsettled, stressed or overwhelmed, here is a simple to follow and easy-going guide on how to stay mentally fit during this time.

We are just over the half way mark of lock-down and for many this has been a time of confusion, worry and discomfort. 
As a small business and as yogis, at The Nest Space we have found that the most important lesson to follow at this time is one of surrender and acceptance. As the future becomes more uncertain we are reminded to focus our attention and efforts towards what we can control and gracefully release what we can not, and the one true thing we can learn to control is our mind and state of being. 

With this mind we have put together a short list of daily rituals to follow during the rest of the lockdown period:

Move your body:

Try to move your body for at least 30min every day. This can be in the form of dancing, doing yoga, skipping or doing home-based workouts. Like us, many yoga studios are offering online classes. Our classes happen every day and are suitable for yogis of all ages and experience levels. To book a class with us at The Nest Space click here or to practice online for free with me click here

Work with your breath:

Breath-work is an excellent practice to still the mind and calm the emotions. Take a moment to pause, close your eyes and focus on your breath at least once per day. An easy breathing exercise to do as often as possible, is to breath 10 long and deep breaths while ensuring that you inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 6 counts. This exercise helps to balance the nervous system, slow down the heart rate and clear the thoughts in the mind. 

Maintain a routine:

Maintaining a routine has been shown to positively impact one’s mental wellbeing. In a time when so much is uncertain, it can be extremely grounding and calming to have a regular, predictable home routine that you can rely on:

Aim to wake up fairly early at the same time every day.

Set a time aside for showering/bathing, cleaning up the house and getting dressed. 
Make sure that you make your bed every morning after waking. 

Try to stay away from wearing the same clothes you sleep in during the day

Set time aside for eating, work and self-love activities (such as reading, drawing, listening to music)

Try to limit social media and news watching to a maximum of 1hour.

Try to ensure that you eat at roughly the same time each day to maintain your gut health

Although consistency is important, allow yourself some leeway in your routine. Know that you are doing the best that you can and be compassionate to yourself if things don’t always go according to plan. 

Beautify your environment:

Keep your space tidy and fresh. Make a point to tidy and clean up your home every day. Open the windows to let fresh air in, do the dishes and set up a chore schedule to make sure you stay on top of your laundry and cleaning.

Regulate and optimise your sleep:

Make sure to pay some extra attention to optimising your sleep. Try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day ensuring that you are getting 7 hours of sleep. To help establish your sleeping pattern, create a sleep ritual. About an hour before bed, begin to wind down your day. Make yourself a warm cup of tea, switch off your phone and the TV, read a book or listen to gentle and soothing music or sleep meditations (you can find a great selection of meditations and music on the Insight Timer app)

Maintain a Feeling of Community:

Keep in touch with your loved ones by sending voice notes, video calls or setting up group zoom meetings. Check in with friends and family that are alone at this time as well as those who you know may be going through a really hard time. Try to schedule activities with friends/family so you can experience them “together” such as movie nights, games nights, dance parties etc. This is a time to stick together.

 Practice Gratitude:

Take some time as soon as you wake up and before you fall asleep to list 5 things you are grateful for. These can be belongings, loved ones, cozy comforts or situations. Gratitude is a powerful way to brighten up one’s general mood and day. 

Lockdown has been a challenge. It has exposed most of our deepest fears and insecurities while also shining the light on all that is worthwhile, truly important and good in the world – present mindedness, courage, hope and love.

While it may be difficult, try your best at this time to follow the above guidance and maintain a positive state of gratitude throughout your day.
Remember that happiness is a choice and that only you can change your mindset. 

Now is the time to take responsibility for our own happiness by realising that we are in the driver’s seat of our moods. While we cannot control our external circumstance, we can control our reactions to it. Now is the time to learn this lesson. 

From me and all of us at The Nest Space, we wish you a calm and peaceful rest of lockdown. Sending you all loads of love and light. 

CREDITS

Quotes and illustrations taken from @less_stuff_more_meaning @mindfullywed and illustrated by @fogandco

Thank you to Talks with Humula for asking me to write this blog post 🙂 Have a look at their blog here