Guest post by Emma McGrady, Crown Spa Director.
The announcement of another lockdown in Melbourne brought with it a lot of emotions for many, and many of those are understandably negative. While it’s hard to sometimes see the positives in these situations, with a bit of focus and goal setting you can view this period as opportunity to get some important ‘me time’ in – and focus on your health and wellbeing.
Here are seven easy tips to hopefully ease the restlessness of lockdown – and put a positive spin on it!
GET VIRTUAL
Social support is critical to our overall health and wellbeing and becomes particularly important during
times of social isolation that occur during lock-down. While you can’t meet up for a drink with a friend – try and schedule virtual gatherings or even just regular check-ins on the phone. This applies to your colleagues as much as your friends outside of work – so if you’re working remotely. try and schedule more video meetings during this time to keep up the connection.
READ
Reading is one of the best things to do to calm your mind, and it’s also one of the first hobbies we ‘lose’ and deprioritise when life gets in the way. Find a book or classic that you have always ‘wanted’ to get through – and challenge yourself to finish it during the next 7 days. Even better, challenge a few friends, set up a virtual book club and use it as a social connection opportunity as well! If you find it hard to read, another great option is downloading some audio books from Audible or other audio book providers. To really focus on the self-improvement opportunity of lock-down perhaps choose something by Deepak Chopra or Micheal A Singer for starters.
MEDITATE
During times of stress and anxiety, medical experts agree that regular mediation can be beneficial and help calm the mind, and redirect negative thinking. Not to mention its impact on overall anxiety, sleep habits and health! There are plenty of free online resources on how to get started or check out https://www.wikihow.com/Meditate-for-Beginners
GET OUTDOORS AND RUN… OR WALK
One of the best things you can do during the lockdown is move! Exercising is key for our physical AND mental health, and with the current restrictions in place we hopefully all have a bit more time to devote to it. Dust off those runners and head out for a run – or even just a gentle walk. All movement is good! Just get outdoors and move.
DECLUTTER
While it seems like nearly everyone on Instagram did a Marie Kondo overhaul during Lockdowns 1, 2 and
3, if you haven’t then it might be time to put the next seven days to good use. Studies show if you’re living with a lot of clutter in your home, you’re generally more stressed with higher levels of stress hormones in your body. Pick one room to focus on for each day – and declutter!
MOVIE MARATHON
You might have think you had your fill of TV binge watching during lockdowns 1, 2 and 3 – but that’s what streaming services are for! There are lots of great lists online for the best new movies online to watch, and series to binge watch. Take out the time, make some popcorn and have a movie night or two.
PAMPER YOURSELF
One of the healthiest ways to ‘indulge’ during lockdown is by scheduling for yourself a pamper session. And you can get all the ingredients to do it from your chemist or supermarket! Lock yourself away for an hour or two – buy a good quality hydration mask from your chemist, have a warm bath and use body oil for a full body hydration treatment and self-massage. Buy a Nasal inhaler and instantly feel refreshed , relax and be a better you. BoomBoom has a collection of different nasal inhalers and it’s all natural.
Remember, better health and wellbeing is about building better habits – so use lockdown to your benefit!
