Global pandemics and lockdowns are difficult, they are hard to cope with. This is not a normal situation and it is very challenging. It is ok to have found it hard, and to have had a bit of a heart sinking feeling when you heard the news that we will be under Level 4 restrictions for a longer time. But I do want to remind you that there is nothing inherently stressful in a lockdown. Stress rather is something that happens in our mind and body in reaction to something that is occurring. Stress happens when we see that event as a threat and feel or think that we don’t have the resources to cope with it. Therefore we all find different elements of the lockdown stressful, and have a different amount of resource to deal with those stressful elements. It can help to identify exactly what it is you struggle with, and consider how you can increase your resource in that area. Part of increasing our resource involves maintaining our well-being as this is one way to increase our resource to manage the struggles. It is easy to think of taking care of our well-being as something huge and complex but it is most often those simple, small things done presently that make the most difference. It can be a bit like when the Evergreen was stuck in the Suez canal and those tiny dredgers and diggers had to move just enough sand to get it out. That is what we are doing to maintain our well-being - tiny bucket loads of sand scooped out with persistence.

Here are 6 tips for maintaining wellbeing during lockdown.

Make Plans.

I don’t know about you but I have struggled to get out of bed a few days this week. It seems that all of a sudden all those little rewards that are part of our day (conversations with colleagues, coffee on the way to work, smiles from others, chats in the kitchen, colleagues saying you have done a good job) are gone. Also gone are the normal structures and timetables of our day that mean we are able to function on automatic. We are suddenly faced with making many decisions without the usual external rewards (dopamine hits). Struggling with motivation seems fairly normal in the face of that, but we can take action to compensate. Making plans that involve structure and schedules and planning frequent small rewards help us with motivation. You can also support your well-being by trying to keep your schedule as similar to your non-lockdown schedule as possible. This helps your day to feel normal (more important as we prepare for a long-time in lockdown) and helps with the adjustment to different levels. Planning a clear differentiation between workdays/weekdays and weekends/days off is also important to give your week a normal rhythm and to ensure you get a rest from the work focus. It is amazing how motivating it is to still feel the achievement of making it to Friday.

Pay careful attention to your motivation and what it is telling you - is there a specific time of day that you are struggling with? Why might that be? What action can you take to help with that? Think of those small rewards that might provide a small smile, or moment of joy. Today my treat at 3pm (a school day of work) is to go to the big park (instead of the little park) for a walk. If your struggle is to get out of bed in the morning think of some ideas that would make that more attractive for you - perhaps a nice cup and saucer already laid out, a snuggly oodie to transition between bed and being up, or a scheduled chat with a friend would just give you a little more reward and incentive to get up. Planning things to look forward to can also be a helpful motivator at times like this, anticipation gives us similar feelings of happiness to actually experiencing events, so it is an important contributor to our well-being. Plan some things to look forward to that are possible during lockdown and some things that you are going to do to celebrate being able to see friends and family again when we are finally allowed.

How is your motivation today? What can you plan that would give some small boosts to your motivation through the day and through the week?

Tune Into Your Why

Maintaining our well-being and feeding our ability to cope with Lockdown is often done with simple actions, yet those actions can feel very hard. The principles of caring for yourself are simple, control what you can, eat well, support good sleep habits, connect with others and get outside for exercise. Yet they are difficult to do consistently and intentionally and there’s the challenge. There is a complex process between knowledge and action that can trip us up and leave us slumped on the couch with a gin and tonic. We need to tap into that process between knowledge and action, in order to move forward. That process is filled with feelings, thoughts, urges and emotions. Often we have barely acknowledged them, or some of the feelings might be ones we keep pushing away. It can help to be curious about what is going on there and what the feelings and thoughts actually are. Our sense of why and our values can give us the motivation we need to maintain our well-being in the face of struggles and strains. Values are like underground power sources for change. If we can step into values driven actions instead of doing things because ‘we think or know we should’ things that were once just another item on an overwhelming to do list become a natural and authentic expression of our own sense of self. It may help you to remind yourself why we are in lockdown, to personalise it in a way that gives it meaning for you, perhaps a family member or particular group that you feel you are protecting. Then if you know your values spend time connecting with those each day. Ask yourself what it is you want to stand for in this time of lockdown, and use that to motivate your well-being actions. You may care for yourself so that you have the strength and energy to care for others, or so that you can be the best parent you want to be. Thinking of ways to live your values can help to add meaning and vitality into days that can begin to seem monotonous.

Do you know your values?

What values motivate you to care for your well-being?

What do you want to stand for in this lockdown?

Wonder About Worry

Often we can fall into certain habits of thinking that make it harder to feel well and to cope with the struggles that life throws at us. Our experiences, preferences, family life, biology and more all influence these thinking habits. It is completely normal to get caught in these patterns, our brains are tricky at the best of times. Sometimes it is helpful to consider whether these patterns of thinking that we have developed are helpful or unhelpful for our well-being. Some of these patterns may be particularly activated by the current rise in Covid case numbers, or the circumstances of your lockdown. Others may be long standing patterns that don’t usually bother you but that you are noticing more because of lockdown.

We can make small nudges to our thoughts so that they better resource us to cope with challenges. The first step in doing this is to notice what is happening and where our thoughts are leading. Be curious about your thinking patterns. Maybe you get caught in worrying about the future, perhaps you get caught in comparisons, or find it easier to see the negative than the positive. Pay attention to how these thoughts traps are influencing your feelings, what are the feelings that spring up in you in response to these thoughts. Also notice what initiates those thought patterns and what frees you to think a little more positively or realistically. Are there things that you are doing that might be useful to stop doing? (does scrolling the newsfeed exacerbate your worries?). People caught up in their thought patterns are usually anywhere but here in the present moment (often they are in the past or future). So a helpful reset if you feel yourself getting caught up in thought patterns is to come back to the here and now. To fully engage in this moment. This can often be done by focussing on our senses, what we can see, hear, feel, smell and taste right now. This little interruption to your thoughts can be a bit like pressing reset on the computer. Another pattern that I see a lot is developing a habit of focussing on all the things that we are missing out on. It is important to grieve those loses and make spaces for those feelings it may also be helpful to balance this by finding things to be grateful for each day. You can make small nudges in your thinking that will support and grow your well-being.

Tend To Your Body

Small persistent actions done regularly are what’s going to see us through the stress and struggles of this covid lockdown. This is particular true when we consider our physical health. It is the simple things, eat well, sleep well and exercise in the fresh air, that can make a difference to our ability to cope and bounce back from the stresses and strains of level 4. However nowhere is the gap between the knowledge of the simple things that we can do and our ability to take action so apparent as in eating healthy food, going to bed early and exercising. We know we should eat the broccolini for lunch, but much prefer the idea of the potato chips. Our relationship with food and exercise is often complex, and this makes it difficult to take the wise choices. Yet our bodies and brains are linked and have a great deal of influence over each other so enhancing our ability to cope with stress must also involve tending to our bodies (that often shout out about our ignored stress). For a long time I resisted regular exercise and while I still don’t particularly enjoy the process of exercising I do notice the difference it makes in my ability to think and perform in my work, and cope with challenges - and for me that makes it worth doing.

Our thoughts, feelings and patterns of thinking are all prominent here for example it is common to feel that exercise is a punishment (whip that body into shape), another should on our already full to do list, or something we have to do to make up for eating what we enjoy. Likewise we have a lot of thoughts and emotions around eating healthy food. We often see it as involving denying ourselves, eating things we don’t especially like and having to use all our will-power to do. But it’s lockdown so its time to reset and put aside all those old thoughts and ideas just as we have put aside going out. Instead it is time to honour your body with tenderness and compassion - after all you are asking it to carry you through lockdown stresses and strains - thats a big ask. You may like to start by once a day thanking your body for seeing you through another day. Then think of one action you can do to show your body care and nurturing each day. Tune into your body, listen to it and find things that make it stronger and healthier - do more of these things and worry less about what you ‘should’ do or eat. Wellness comes from developing a caring relationship with ourselves this takes small persistent moves in that direction.

What does your body need to be resilient?

How will you nourish your body today?

Connect with others

The courier came today, it was delightful to wave at him and receive an answering wave as he delivered the adapter I needed for my noise cancelling headphones (and yes these are absolutely essential for surviving lockdown). It was not just my adapter that was a pleasant addition to my lockdown life however, it is that sense of connection to community that a wave provides. We are trying to move our well-being and ability to cope with the stressors of lockdown with simple but sometimes difficult actions. Ensuring that we keep connected to others is one of these simple actions, that we need to be intentional about. The little casual interactions that we have throughout our day - with bus drivers, and cafe workers, or people in shops are much more important than we often realise, it is something that we can miss a great deal during Level 4 restrictions. If we are careful we can find ways to have some of these beneficial interactions, by waving at the courier or a neighbour walking down the street. We also need to keep up our larger interactions with those we know well. I have noticed that some people tend to take a negative attitude to virtual interactions or phone calls, finding them inadequate compared to face to face. That negative framing can quickly turn into “I can’t be bothered connecting virtually”, and a sense of isolation is quick to follow. Sure virtual interactions are not the same as face to face laughs, chats and hugs. Yet the virtual connections still provide the sense of connection, and belonging that can support our well-being and support us through the struggles and strains of lockdown. Time with friends provides a sense of safety and soothing that can be very helpful in reducing our sense of anxiety or ability to switch off from work that is getting out of control. Talking to these friends can also help us notice, name and express that package of emotions and stresses that we are feeling, helping us to normalise and manage our reactions to all we are dealing with. Helping others also has a positive impact on our mood and sense of purpose, again contributing to our sense of well-being. You need people, and people need you - we will get through this by helping and listening to each other.

Who and how will you reach out to someone today?

Winddown

If you are finding the pandemic lockdown stressful and worrying it is important for your well-being to take a break from this constant stress and worry that is putting your mind and body on high alert throughout the days. You need to nurture yourself by allowing your mind and body to rest from all the stress and worry that it is carrying. I am not advocating denial or distraction to avoid all those feelings rather it is saying that you need a break from carrying all that worry all the time. Your mind and body may have got so wound up that this is hard for you at first, it may be a matter of slowly teaching your mind and body to relax again. The weekend is of course a good time to be intentional about having opportunities to wind down. I find that routine and ritual are great ways to signal to our brain that we are shifting gears and so Friday night for me usually involves a bit of a different rhythm than other days of the week. I signal it is wind down time by changing out of work clothes, having something special to eat and drink and often watching tv. These signals are even more important as we negotiate working from home and the constant stress of the pandemic lockdown. Think about some routines and rituals that you can use at the weekend to signal that it is switch off from work mode.

We are all different and so this is about tuning into your own mind and body and finding those things that work best to relax you. Try and choose one activity that soothes your mind, one that soothes your body and one that soothes both at the same time. To soothe and relax your mind you may need to identify what makes you feel most safe, secure and relaxed (is it snuggled in bed?), what assists you to take a break from worry thoughts (is it switching off your tech?). You may find that engrossing occupations such as an excellent movie, a thrilling novel or a hobby that requires lots of concentration helpful. To soothe and relax your body you might like to try getting out in the sun, going for a run, having a bath or spa, giving yourself a massage or simply lying on the floor paying attention to the rhythm of your breathing with some nice music on. Our minds and bodies are connected so recognising this by choosing some wind down activities that combine both mind and body are also helpful. This may include meditation, prayer, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, (there are lots of apps and youtube clips to walk you through these). Dancing, gardening and yoga are also great for relaxing the mind and body.

However you choose to wind down this weekend remember that these are all skills. They will be difficult to start with and you may find your mind returning to your worries. Hold your attempts with compassion and give your self space to practice, it might be difficult at first but it will get easier the more your practice. It can take time and persistence to teach your mind and body to relax again, we are just beginning on that process.

How will you wind down this weekend?

Lockdown is hard and if you find that you are struggling to help there are a variety of options of agencies that are still working hard to support your well-being throughout lockdown. A list of these can be found on the Ministry of Health’s Covid Wellbeing Page