Currently, most of the world is in a second lockdown. Lockdown and mental health issues are seemingly banded together and for good reason. When the first lockdown happened a lot of us were affected because we were suddenly holed up in our homes and separated from the people we care about.
How then can we survive a second lockdown and is there any possibility of thriving through it?
I want this post to be useful and beneficial to you and me. That said, I have added affiliate links to this article and would love it if you decide to use them. 😘
READING TIME: 7 Mins. Or JUMP AND SKIM:
Right now, you have a choice as to how you want to perceive the world events and all that goes along with that.
You can choose to constantly watch the news and read social media feeds about the virus.
You can choose to feed into the injustice of it all and how your freedom and rights have been taken away.
You can choose to take on all the fear and worry surrounding the pandemic.
And if you do choose to do all that then you will be fearful, anxious, and stressed every day. Let all that simmer inside of you and you will become very sad and even depressed. Then, not only will your mental health suffer but so will your physical health as you sit around and feel sorry for yourself.
A victim mentally has never benefitted anyone.
Now, you will survive once we come through the other side of this but you will be a mess emotionally, mentally, and physically. Possibly financially too.
HOWEVER, YOU CAN CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY and decide to PERCEIVE what is happening differently.
Perception Is Everything
I’ll flip those choices round now.
You can choose to be aware of what is happening with the virus as it pertains to what the rules are in your country or city. In other words, if you have a curfew, have to wear a mask in public and if you can travel. But what you don’t do is spend hours listening to the news and getting frantic about what you hear.
As soon as someone tells you that you can’t do something you want to do it, right? It’s very human because we feel that we have the right to do and have what we want when we want it. It’s a particular frame of mind.
My suggestion is that you choose to change that mindset. Yes, you can’t do and have exactly what you had before RIGHT NOW but as you know, change is inevitable. Let go of that mindset, relax, and accept what is happening because IT IS NOT FOREVER.
Choose to take control of your thoughts and emotions and not get wrapped up in fear and worry.
That is easier said than done but it can be done. More on that later. Now, if you choose to take on board these choices your PERCEPTION will be very different. I can assure you that your mental health will thank you for it.
Additionally, I have other recommendations on what to do in the second lockdown that will not only nurture your mental health but may lead to thriving through it.
7 Tips To Thrive In The Second Lockdown
Everything IS changing whether you like it or not. So why not change with it and reinvent yourself? Use your time wisely and make it work for you rather than sitting around moping and thinking “woe is me”.
Here are my 7 tips:
- UpSkill
- Try New Hobbies Or Things To Do
- Socialize From Afar
- Practice External Self-Care
- Start An Internal Self-Care Habit
- Get To Know Yourself
- Movies, TV, And Videos
Let’s take a deeper look at those 7 ways, as you never know – you might thrive instead of just survive the second lockdown.
UpSkill
Begin to look at your skillset and upgrade it. A lot of stuff is being done online now and more people are working from home. That requires computer skills. Do you need to know the basics or have you thought about creating your own website? Or do you want to learn how to set-up a spreadsheet with Excel?
Upskilling will not only help you to gain valuable knowledge to make money but you will be learning and increasing your confidence at the same time.
YouTube is a great free resource to use for learning a huge number of different skills. Or why not start your own YouTube channel and share your skills and knowledge?
Finding a course online has never been easier and some of them are free too. Here are 3 FREE courses from Simpliv if you want to learn how to create a website or blog.
WordPress Beginner Tutorial: Build Your First Website
WordPress for Beginners – Learn How to Create a Blog
How to Create a WordPress Website Using Elementor
Platforms like Simpliv have many courses that are reasonably priced with bundles offering even more savings. Subjects are many and varied, including public speaking, PowerPoint, project management, life coaching course, learn computer skills, homeschooling, copywriting, Adobe, how to teach online and SO much more.
Try New Hobbies Or Things To Do
Try something new, anything. It will increase your self-esteem and be fun. Not sure what to do? I have 100 ideas for you – Read 100 New Things To Try.
That list will get the ball rolling on how to come up with new things to try out. Nonetheless, there are SO many options, for example, have you ever dreamed of starting your own business?
Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to draw? Then check out The Ultimate Drawing Course Bundle:
Apparently, we’ve all got a book inside of us. Why not write it? Creating Writing Skills Bundle:
Learn a new language with the Language Learning Certification Bundle that includes sign language, Japanese, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, German, Spanish, and more:
Socialize From Afar
Get on Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, or FaceTime and have a chinwag with your friends and family. Just because you are isolated doesn’t mean you have to be isolated, if you know what I mean.
Keep the connections and communication flowing with the people you care about. Have one rule though – no one talks about the virus. However, if they are passing on beneficial pandemic information that’s okay but don’t get swept up in all the shenanigans! Both parties could become down and that is not the object of the hook-up.
Practice External Self-Care
There are two types of self-care, external and internal. While both are important to our well-being it must be said that practicing internal self-care comes first but let’s check out external self-care and all that entails.
External self-care is looking after our bodies, pampering, and generally taking care of our well-being. Create a homemade spa day and pamper yourself with massages, face masks, manicures, pedicures, or by preparing a nutritious, healthy meal.
Remember the five basics of looking after yourself too:
- Breathing – most of us shallow breathe so be aware of this and take some deep breaths throughout the day.
- Sleep – think quality (comfy bed and room, cut down the electronics before bed) and quantity (know what works for you). Take naps when you need to.
- Food – eat your greens, fruit, and vegetables and cut down on processed food.
- Water – drink plenty of water and DO NOT get thirsty.
- Exercise – full body stretches and using your body weight for strength training can be done in most places. Jog, dance, or star jump on the spot.
Start An Internal Self-Care Habit
Internal self-care is done by paying attention to what you are thinking, feeling, and doing. How you do that is by practicing mindfulness. Being aware of our emotions and thoughts can assist us in identifying them and processing them. This simple but super-useful practice can literally help ease anxiety, fears, and depression and stop the internal negative chatter by staying present.
Pretty useful right now I’d say.
RELATED: What Is Mindfulness Meditation?
Taking it a step further, mindfulness practice can also be used to get to know our inner workings and more importantly self-limiting beliefs that may be holding us back in life.
Get To Know Yourself
Take the second lockdown time to know yourself by discovering your negative beliefs and thoughts through mindfulness. Once discovered you can then work on changing them to positive and uplifting beliefs and thoughts. By doing this you will not only gain an understanding of why you do the things you do but unlock your true potential.
Then, when the second lockdown finally passes you will be superbly prepared for your new life and it will propel you into living the life you want to live.
What better way to move you forward and thrive in the second lockdown?
Movies, TV, And Videos
Relaxing and watching movies, TV shows or videos is always enjoyable and another way to spend your time. Nevertheless, I recommend not bingeing for days at a time. Get some balance.
Tell yourself you will do so many hours learning your new skill (or something else productive) and then sit down to watch something. You will enjoy your watching time so much more like this.
What Will You Choose?
I’m not here to tell you what to do because ultimately you will choose what you want to do.
Keep in mind though that you do have a choice during the second lockdown.
You can choose to live in fear and get stressed, anxious, and depressed. Your mental (and possibly physical) health will be affected in negative ways if this is the road you go down.
OR, you can choose to change your perception and accept what is happening and move through it by making use of your time. Deciding to do this will benefit your mental health, build self-worth, learn new skills, and possibly (dare I say) be happy and thrive.
Know this though, these times will NOT last forever (nothing ever does).
Choose wisely.
The name of The Game is Experience so let us experience Connecting and Sharing.
Do you have tips on how to survive or thrive in the second lockdown? Share in the comments below.
Save THIS PIN below to your Self-Care or Mental Wellness Board to check later and use some of the tips in your day.
