We’ve all learned to survive during the first lockdown, and now that we’re just come out of our second, our thinking should be: we know what to do now, and we can do better. It’s all a matter of perspective and focusing on the opportunities rather than the setbacks. So, let’s review some of the things we might have already done to mentally survive in the past, and focus on improvements to make the future ahead easier for us and our mental health to bear.
Set better priorities
List down new goals you’d like to achieve that you weren’t able to in the first few months of lockdown. It still doesn’t have to be big and complicated goals. It can be anything simple yet new that you’d like to prioritise, now that you have so much time in your hands again.
Or if you think there’s nothing left to do anymore, why not this time, slow down for a bit and just savour the simple moments? Maybe your priorities now shouldn’t focus on doing more, but on just spending real quality time with yourself and your family.
Re-address your inner child like a parent
Since this is already a familiar situation to you, you probably already know how to stay calm and what to tell yourself. This time, talk to your inner child in a more encouraging manner — that you’ve been through this before, and now, you’re even mentally tougher. Claim to yourself that this time, everything should be easier and like before, you’ll be just fine.
Healthline’s article on healing your inner child points out the importance of listening to your inner child with compassion. Acknowledge possible feelings of anger, rejection, insecurity, vulnerability, guilt, or anxiety. Don’t push them away. Letting yourself feel them validates them and can eventually lead to acceptance and healing.
Improve your healthy routine
You might have already established a healthy routine before, so now, you just have to maintain it and maybe improve in some areas. Try a different healthy diet or a new workout programme. Maintain work boundaries, but find ways to be even more productive and happier with your work.
If you’re feeling creative, try to change the location of your home office or rearrange your desk. If your home office looks dull, you can try and make it more stylish. Forbes’ feature on creating a stylish home office can help you turn any room into a home office, including the kitchen or playroom. This way, you can have a more conducive home office, plus a new creative project to work on while being stuck at home again.
Maintain pampering self-care
Continue showing yourself some love by doing what makes you feel good, whether it’s a warm bubble bath or a soothing steam facial. But even simpler steps like moisturising daily can do a world of good — especially as indoor air can be drying. Pretty Me’s review of the popular AR cream highlights how it’s important to look for gentle, hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sunflower seed oil that can delight your skin. And don’t forget to put on some sunscreen, as harmful UV rays can still attack your skin even when indoors. Pampering yourself this way can boost your overall mood and take your mind off negative thoughts. It doesn’t only let you take care of your body, but your mind and spirit as well.
Make social media distancing more meaningful
If you’ve already limited your social media use or news monitoring before, then that’s already a good practice to just maintain. But now, you can make the limited time you spend on social media even more meaningful by taking part in a social media advocacy. Our Social Media Pledge movement through positive feed disruption is a simple solution aiming to improve teenage girls’ social media health. You only need to download the social media pledge image that says “Pledge to…Transform your Feed; Love not Hate; Comment Kind; Scroll Mindfully,” post it on your social media accounts with the hashtag #DisruptYourFeed, and nominate someone who empowers you to do the same.
Simple but meaningful actions done together can have a big impact. So, let’s all take a stand to promote healthier and more positive social media use.
Written by Sasha Hall for thefemalelead.com
Photograph from Unsplash