If you’re like me, you’ve heard a zillion tips on making the most of lockdown. So rest assured I’m not here to tell you how to ‘seize the day’. Sometimes, just getting through the day is hard enough.
If there’s one thing you do need to remember, it’s this: Be kind to yourself.
We’re in a time of crisis and uncertainty.
We need to separate what we can control from what we can’t.
So my survival tips below are based on the things most of us can control.
Maintaining a regular routine, staying active, and avoiding too much alcohol are a good start. Let’s break these down into easy steps:
1. Get specific with your goals
Think 10,000 steps per day, five alcohol-free days per week, six takeaway-free days, two litres of water, or five serves of vegetables each day.
Write your goals down and tick them off each day.
Maintaining healthy habits helps us get a good night’s sleep and stay positive.
2. Use tech to connect
While normally too much screen time is not recommended, recent evidence shows that staying connected to loved ones digitally helps combat lockdown loneliness.
Technology can be used for video chats and meetings, messaging, and playing social games to maintain connection. I thoroughly recommend this free online game platform for remote fun during lockdown.
3. Keep a routine
The enemy of stress and boredom is a daily routine. When you wake up, shower straight away and get dressed in clean clothes (trackies are fine!). Make your bed to remove the temptation to fall back into it.
Small steps like this help you feel in control of your environment and clear your head.
4. Set clear boundaries while WFH
Work hours have a way of getting longer and weirder during lockdown.
Spend time configuring your work computer and phone to mute all work-related alerts and notifications on software between 5pm and 9am.
Physically turn off the computer and step away from the desk when the workday is over.
5. Start a new project
Starting a new project can help us remain positive while in lockdown. Try a simple task, not a major home reno.
This could be a new puzzle, reading a book, enrolling in an online class, or cooking a few new recipes each week. Share your successes and failures with friends and family.
Seek support if you need it from your GP or a psychologist. You can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 for support too.
The team here at SECC are also only a phone call away on (02) 8338 8506 or (02) 7903 0607.
And finally…remember this won’t last forever. Summer is just around the corner and we’ll soon be enjoying long sunny days and BBQs again.
Stay safe, be kind to yourself and others, and we’ll come out of this as more resilient humans.
Alison Leader
Communications Manager
South Eastern Community Connect (SECC)