We’re all in this together. However, we must remember that each and every one of us will be affected in different ways. Our life story is unique and our resilience is unique.

It is now more important than ever to implement a self-care practice. The more we can stay centred and aware of our physical, mental and emotional state, the more we can support our loved ones and our own overall well-being.

The Covid-19 pandemic has floored us. We’re living in an anxious and uncertain time. But with great adversity comes some of life’s incredibly powerful lessons. We can come out of this stronger. It just takes some work on ourselves, our well-being practices and our mindset.

The tips I’m sharing in this post are ones that you can implement into your day-to-day life.

1. Create a Routine that Serves You — It’s so easy to get caught up in calls, emails, social media. And this maybe whilst juggling children, isolated parents, the general uncertainty of life, and staying positive. Write down the perfect blueprint of your day. Schedule in your meetings, schedule in your meals, schedule in your self-care practices. Of course you will have to be adaptable to change, but each of the points I have mentioned are equally as important.

2. Self-Care practices — What do they consist of? Exercise or movement (something that you enjoy), time away from your screen, a hobby that you love to do (something that will take your mind away from the busyness and trials of life), meditation or journaling, time to talk to family and friends, quality time with your children.

3. Meditating or Journaling — Hugely important for our mental health. By unloading the mind of thoughts or taking a moment to disconnect from our thoughts we provide a sense of calm for our nervous system. We take our body from a state of stress (flight or flight mode) to a state of restoration. This brings about clarity and improves our ability to handle the curve balls we’re thrown.

4. Notice your Thoughts — Lean into the positive ones like joy and happiness. Draw your awareness to negative thought spirals, or thoughts coming from a place of fear. Acknowledge these thoughts, accept them and then find a better thought. You can also use the 2 minute distraction method, distract yourself with something that makes you feel good (a call to a friend, a book, a podcast, a walk)

5. Be conscious of your Sleep Hygiene — If possible turn off your tech by 7pm and try not to watch the news or look at social media before you go to sleep. The temptation will be there and it will be easy to be drawn in to it, but it’s a temptation worth resisting. Clear your mind before you go to sleep, you can do this through a guided relaxation/meditation, or a mind dump (write down on paper everything that is running through your mind)

6. Nurture your body and mind through Nutrition — Plan your meals, use fresh ingredients, and have healthy snacks to hand. Be aware of shadow comforts like raiding the kitchen for anything containing sugar, or the bottle of wine to unwind from a stressful day. I’m not saying don’t have these things, but have them in moderation, have them for the right reasons and thoroughly enjoy them.

7. Be Mindful in Your Conversations — When we feel unsafe we like to talk about it because we don’t know what else to do about it. Be kind with your words and think about the most positive approach you can adopt at that moment in time. If you are struggling, don’t be afraid to talk to somebody. We are all in this together.

8. Practice Gratitude — Make your first thought of the day a positive one. Write down throughout your day things that you are grateful for. Think about a positive that can come out of this (reconnecting with an old friend, time to cook, time to start a new hobby, learning a different language, appreciating the small things). Practice gratitude right before you go to sleep.

I hope you can take away some helpful practices from this and remember they are called ‘practices’ for a reason. They need to be done consistently and mindfully.

Stay safe and healthy.

#healthandwellness #stayhealthy #mindhealth #healthyliving #selfcare