Most countries in Europe and further afield have entered another lengthy lockdown due to Covid-19. Which means for now we must stay at home again to protect our friends and families from catching the virus, and help reduce the overall Coronavirus cases around the world.
Lockdown is not new to us anymore but it’s no less worrying, frustrating and uncertain, even the second (or third) time around. It’s important to stay healthy even in lockdown so we’ve collated some of the lessons we learnt during the first lockdown to help you stay healthy in body and mind during lockdown.
Here are our five top tips for staying healthy in body and mind during lockdown…
Spend time outdoors
Nature is proven to be very healing and calming for all people. So spending time in nature only has positive health benefits. Make it part of your daily routine to go for a walk, a run or to spend time in your garden or a nearby outdoor space and take in the plants, insects and wild animals around you. It’s very calming when you realise that despite what’s going on in the world, a tree is still a tree and the birds will go about their daily business unaware and unaffected.
Embrace uncertainty
“Uncertain” is one of the words we can use to describe the situation in the world right now and uncertainty breeds lots of anxiety for human beings as it’s in our nature to like to know what we’re doing and when. So if you find yourself struggling with anxious thoughts each day, then this is perfectly normal. But uncertainty can have its benefits too… It enables us to live in the present, taking each day as it comes, with a focus on the place and people which are right there in front of us. Use this time to nurture relationships with family and close friends and take time for your own self care.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Taking into account what we’ve said above – don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not productive each and every day. After you’ve finished your school work enjoy your downtime with a relaxing book, some nice music or a great film. You don’t need to put the pressure on yourself to learn new skills and achieve new things all the time. Sometimes, just having a bath and reading a chapter of your book is enough when you’re feeling anxious.
Create a routine you can live with
Your daily routine will have changed dramatically over the past year. You may no longer be travelling to and from school, you could be unable to play team sports or extra curricular hobbies and you’re not allowed to see friends and family members. As we said before, human beings respond well to a routine as it gives us purpose and helps us to stay focused. So try to create a routine that’s easy enough to live with. This could be making yourself wake up at a certain time everyday, or to eat a healthy nutritious breakfast. Maybe it’s making a promise to yourself that you will go for a brisk walk each afternoon. Try to do one thing that makes you feel good everyday!
Take time away from social media and the news
We’re not designed to constantly take in negativity and at the moment it can feel like we’re only surrounded by worry and doom. Take time away from the news and step away from social media if you can to give yourself a break from it all. This could even be the perfect time to curb your social media intake for good and remove any accounts, content or people that only make you feel down.
With the hope that lockdowns will come to an end in a near future, here at Lenguaventura, we’ve been planning what we are going to do. Until then, we invite you to read our blog article about things we are looking forward to, on our summer camp website Lenguaventura. Don’t forget that having something to look forward to is also very helpful in this situation and keeps us hopeful and positive for exciting times ahead.
