Mental well-being is the key ingredient to just about anything. Whatever your focus, your mental health is the foundation for success.
Corona-virus, undeniably has had an impact on our mental well-being. Feelings of uncertainty of what the future holds is, in part, the definition of anxiety itself. So, it is essential you check in with yourself and say what do ‘I’ need for ‘Me’.
When we turn to social media, there is an outpouring of support from Irish bloggers, and influencers who genuinely want to do help in whatever way they can. Many have taken to Instagram to share live video of yoga classes, cooking classes, fitness workout routines etc. – to help us all through these uncertain times – which is great for lots of people.
While the circumstances we find ourselves in are shared, they are unique to each of us. When we search for answers by asking questions like ‘what is everyone else doing’, we forget to ask the more important questions of ‘what do I need?’, ‘what would be good for me right now?’. If this sounds like you, read on 😊.
Back to Basics: Nurturing yourself Checklist:
Sleep
"I’m sleeping in later and I’m going to bed later – my routine is off!”
- Step 1: Ask yourself:
- What time are you getting up and going to sleep at now?
- What would be the ideal time to be asleep by and wake up at?
- Step 2: Start winding it back.
- Slice just 15mins back off your time each night and each morning until you get back to where you want to be.
- Key note: don’t be hard on yourself, and celebrate the little wins (15mins earlier is a step in the right direction, then keep going).
Eat
“I need to social distance myself from my fridge"… “I’m eating worse than I ever have”.
- Step 1: ‘Out of sight, out of mind’. Firstly, try not to have ‘bold’ food in your house at all. But if you do, try to keep it out of sight / hard to reach. The more effort it takes to get your hands on it, the less inclined you will be to go and get it.
- Step 2: Along with your meals for the day, assign your snacks. If snacking in between meals is inevitable, make sure what is considered a snack is a healthy one.
- Key note: fruits, mixed nuts, cereal bars, yogurts, carrot sticks and hummus to name a few.
Drink
“I’m drinking less water, but more coffee and wine”
- Coffee: Track your coffee intake, simply on a post-it & mark down each time you have one.
- Try limit to 3 coffees a day
- Try alternatives; decaf coffee, regular or herbal teas.
- Stop drinking coffee 6hrs before bed – circa 5pm if you’re in bed by 11pm.
- Water: Use a water bottle
- Most water bottles are 500mls, which makes it easier to keep track of the amount of water you are consuming each day. 4X bottle refills and you’re at your 2ltrs, the recommended daily intake.
- Wine: Wine or any alcohol consumption in your home may have risen since social isolation was announced. Just like coffee, try reduce and limit your consumption to recommended unit guidelines.
Exercise
“I get out for a walk, but its probably not enough if I compare myself to ..."
It is recommended that we do 30mins of exercise a day. Push yourself within your own limits and be happy with what you personally achieve and not what you think everyone else has.
- Step 1: Prep before you start: Make it as easy as possible to transition into the activity. This could be having the activity pre-loaded on the TV, or your coat & runners at the door. This helps you ‘act-before-you-think’, giving the voice in your head telling you ‘no’ less time to take a hold.
- Step 2: Choose your 30min window – set a reminder on your phone and stick to the same time each day. Don’t snooze your reminder, up and at-am and out you pop.
- Step 3: Commit to the 30mins, and push yourself in that time and get the heart rate up. Try to be present in the exercise and not let thoughts of ‘what you need to do’ enter your mind. Let the exercise time be ‘you’ time.
- Key note: If you are exercising outside your home, remember:
**Government restriction of exercise within 2km of your home, and practice social distancing - 2m from people you might pass-by **
Nature
“I’d stop and smell the roses, if I had the time”
Not to sound like a total hippie, but taking a minute to appreciate & tune into the nature around you, is key to escaping the chaos in life at the moment. Spring has the birds out in force, and the blossom trees are in full bloom. How to tune in?
- Step 1: Headphone out for this one, and a walk with a slower pace.
- Step 2: Look up and around and just take it in. Any tall trees, try to look-up to the very top of them and appreciate how long the tree has been there.
- Step 3: Try to pick a quiet road (not too many cars), and ideally some time in the evening after 6 (dusk) and just have a little listen. The more trees the area / road has, the more birds that are out chilling making tunes.
- Step 4: Just breath – take in the fresh air. In for 4, hold for 4 and out for 4. 4:4:4 is a good one, to slow the heart rate & chill 😊
Self-care
“Sure-I’m not going anywhere, seeing anyone, why bother”
A separate post is definitely needed for this one. But I will leave you with two basics, perhaps under-appreciated forms of self-care that can be super powerful at helping us relax if we stay mindful in zee moment.
- Relaxing Bath / Longer Shower: Buy yourself a nice shower gel (a scent that you know will make you feel good)/ bath salts (Epsom salts or Radox muscle soak range is fab). Again, let that time be for just you. No phone, just warm water, nice aromas and being present.
- Music: This one is fairly self-explanatory, and admittedly, quite personal. Whether it is 80’s pop classics, EDM or white noise, whatever you listen to that helps you relax, do more of it and add it into your routine.
"break the cycle, take baby steps, don’t be hard on yourself and celebrate the little wins!"