Covid 19 has changed the picture of the whole world by confining people into their homes. This changed lifestyle has now become the NEW NORMAL, and seems to stay with us for at least sometime! The things that we always took for granted have suddenly become priceless for us, such as freedom and social connections. We are now missing them desperately!
Now the question is how are we treating ourselves during this period?
Are we taking lockdown as a blockage in our life? Or as a productive challenge through which we will transform ourself into a better person!
We are not alone!
Our neighbours, relatives, friends, colleagues… everyone is facing the same distress, all are trying to cope up with this situation in a similar way.
This is the challenge each of us must rise to! If we’re going to be stuck at home, we may as well make the most of it. Let’s take this physical distancing as a transformational phase and not let its ill effects impact our lives.
The choice is completely ours!
Also check: Social Distancing-Don’t panic, be creative
“The way we spend our time defines who we are.” Jonathan Estrin
10 tips to use your time wisely during lockdown
1- Create a New Routine:
When we feel powerless or helpless (as so many of us do at the moment), one EXTREMELY easy thing to do is to create a routine or schedule. While we’re all stuck at home, it’s easy to lose our sense of time. There’s no difference between weekdays and weekends as such. Monotonous routine takes over us and we end up doing anything at anytime. Here a routine works as an anchor and brings a sense of control over our lives. And if there are children and elders at home, creating a routine becomes especially important to give them a sense of normality.
An example:
7am – Wake-up
8am – Breakfast
10am – Exercise
11am – Talk to friends
12.00pm – Lunch
1-4pm – Office work, learning, projects etc
5pm – Make & Eat Dinner
7pm – Talk to close family
8pm – Reading, Journaling
10pm – Bed
Be sure to include food preparation, social time, exercise and outdoor time and some learning or creativity so you get some benefit from this challenging time.
2- Exercise:
Building your physical strength is powerful and health-boosting! It actually helps us feel more empowered and less helpless in life too! So add some physical activity into your schedule – as little as 15 minutes daily. YouTube home workouts can be used to improve your fitness during lockdown. Of course it’s going to be a challenge for super-fit gym-goers, since it’s difficult to stick to the home routine, but joining an online workout group can make you regular because of the accountability factor.Maybe by the end of this you’ll be fitter.
3- Work on your life vision:
Having a clear vision of how you want your life to be is a powerful motivator. A vision helps us work towards our goals, take action and make a change. Use this time to set and meet your goals that you had been putting off due to your busy schedule. Soon, you’ll all be super-busy again – and a vision might be just what you need to stay focused!
Here are 5 questions to ponder or journal around to go deeper:
- Am I clear about the purpose and meaning of my life?
- How do I want to feel?
- What do I really, really want to be different in my life?
- Have I helped myself through such difficult times with a strong positive attitude before?
- What’s my dream for this lifetime?
‘What’s your dream in life’ Click HERE for free consultation
4- Learn a New Skill or reconnect with your old hobby:
There are so many opportunities online to gain a new skill and they’re growing by the day! Grow your personal or creative skills or choose a new skill to learn and take back to work with online training providers like Coursera or Udemy. Discover your hidden talent or reconnect with your neglected hobbies.
5- Be grateful and help others:
Be thankful for whatever positive is with you right now. Helping others is empowering and makes us feel better. Here are a few ways you could help others.
- Check in on a neighbour or friend and see if they need anything. You can do this by phone, or in person, remembering to maintain a 6 feet distance.
- Offer to get someone groceries if you’re going.
- Help someone less technically savvy learn how to use Zoom or WhatsApp or whatever they need to get online.
- Stay connected socially via different apps and messengers.
6- Be kind to yourself:
Don’t panic, make a new routine for these days that you feel will work well for you and your family. Kindness and compassion are one of the most powerful tools. Many of us are largely housebound, and are occupied by unpleasant and weird thoughts, so just relax, shed that negativity and think positive to comfort yourself when afraid or feeling anxious or fidgety.
If you feel that you are having a stressful day due to any reason, just move away and do something different for few minutes, it relaxes you and refills enthusiasm in you!
7- Practise mindfulness:
It is a practice that has been proven scientifically to calm us, help us be more creative and be happier. It’s extremely beneficial. It’s also not as hard as it sounds. You can start with as little as 2-5 minutes a day – and it’s good to build a routine, so you meditate at the same time every day. If you are new to mindfulness, simply start with a 90 seconds mindfulness meditation. Lots of guided meditation are available on internet, and they are quite helpful for the beginners.
8- Start a Journal!
If you’ve always wanted to write, now is a good time to start. A journal can help you explore and sift through your feelings and experiences and learn from them. It’s a great way to get to know you, because it’s a positive self talk. It also identifies negative thoughts and helps in working on them through self reflection.
Choose any medium to write, but the most important thing is to just get started. Here are some prompts to get started with:
- Today I am feeling _________. I think this is because __________.
- One big thing I have learned during this crisis is _________.
- One thing that’s surprised me recently is _________.
- What matters most to me in life is _________.
- My ideal ideal day _________.
- My big dream is _________.
Download the Planners below and have FUN!
Social Distancing-Activity Ideas
Social Distancing-Daily Challenge Planner
Social Distancing-Weekly Challenge Planner
9- Laugh
Laughter releases helpful chemicals in our bloodstream – Endorphins (our natural “happy” drug) and Dopamine (part of our bodily “reward” system).
- Watch your favourite comedy shows
- Netflix and similar have so many watching options, so find something that makes you laugh!
- Practice laughter Yoga! Youtube has a great collection of laughter exercises!
Laughter yoga also does the same benefit as real laughter. Laughter wellness does not mean humor! It means simulated laughter, not pressurized by brain. This fake laughter brings changes in the body that are beneficial for health. The best part is that fake laughter, if done with playfulness, becomes infectious by the end.
Also check: Laughter Yoga in 4 Easy Steps
10- Intake Limited News:
Stay updated through reliable news channels to take right precautions and preventive measures. Try to be in the moment. So when you notice you’re worrying and want to find out what the “latest” is about the COVID situation, say to yourself, “It’s OK. In this moment, I am safe. In this moment I am OK.” The news intake should not be your first and last activity of the day.
“We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they’re called memories. Some take us forward, they’re called dreams.” Jeremy Irons
So when this current and strange COVID-19 situation will end, then you’ll be proud of yourself to have made an effort to learn something new, managed your time well, learnt a new skill or anything else!
Remember, you are not alone!!!
We’d love to know your special tip to be added to the above list
Article by: Everyone is special
