02 Apr Stay Connected whilst staying at home during Covid-19
During these times of uncertainty I wanted to share with you my daily tips as extra support for your mental and physical wellbeing during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Some practical tips whilst staying at home :-
You may naturally be worried about how the Coronavirus is going to impact on your daily life and your family.
I will be posting a number of blog posts over the coming weeks and this one is all about staying at home during the Covid Pandemic.
Stay Connected – do you have ways to stay in contact with people you see regularly, telephone numbers, email address etc.
You can stay connected in many ways, telephone, text, whatsapp video, facetime, Skype, Zoom – the online video chats may well be a new experience for you, so this is also a step forward in embracing change too as life is going to be very different over the coming months.
“surround yourself with the people that make you happy” – even if you cannot hug them then still keep in touch virtually, this all helps to lift your spirits. Support those who need you too – there is much anxiety right now and the support from each other is paramount.
GOV.UK – This Website has all the info you need to know about support you can claim regarding your benefits and employment and financial support.
Food – If you are self isolating do you have a means of contact to help you with food shopping?
Medication – Do you have sufficient medication if you are taking this and do you have support in place to get this collected if you are self isolating.
Exercise – What types of exercise can you do inside your home, this is also going to be an experimental stage for you. There are many online classes you can join or you can look up your own on the internet. Do you have a wii? Exercise dvd’s, Youtube? Running up and down the stairs? Yoga, Hit Classes, legs, bums and tums. There are many workouts you can experiment with. We are currently permitted to leave our homes for one exercise session per day. Whether this is walking, running, cycling then experiment with which uplifts you the most. Maybe vary what you do so that you keep your mind and body stimulated with different types of exercise.
“Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood”.
Hobbies and Entertainment – Keeping Up with your hobbies as much as you can do or start some new ones. There are many online groups you can join. Playing an instrument, dancing, singing , cooking, reading, gardening, drawing, painting etc etc – keep up with your hobbies as much as you can inside your home and garden.
Playing board games if you are with your family.
So much available on TV, Box Sets, Netflix etc, old Dvd’s you can watch from the past.
Take a look through all your photos, spend quality time sharing the memories.
If you want to update your photo albums and transfer them onto digital to share with your family there are apps that you can do this on. This is a big project I have been wanting to do for a long time and may well find some time to do this.
Meet you friends online for Nights Out – Quiz night, games night, to catch up and have a few drinks……….
Do something each day that makes you smile!
Learn Something New – So many online courses available that you maximise your time with. What do you want to learn that you have never had time to do?
Pamper yourself – whilst you have the time pamper yourself, paint your nails, have a facemask, a footspa, bodyscrub. So may ways you can make yourself feel better by taking the time to focus on you.
Spirituality – Embrace your spirituality. If you regularly attend Church – are they providing this online for you? If you belong to any spiritual groups are they doing online Meditations, gatherings etc that you can get involved in?
If you are feeling anxious you can take more control of your thoughts by Meditating daily at home, e.g headspace app, calm app, You tube has some great guided meditations too. Focus on what is within your control too – so what you can actually do yourself to lift your spirits.
When you go for your daily exercise – practice mindfulness and gratitude. This can be really uplifting being in touch with our natural world. Embracing the beauty of the outdoors, especially the sunshine, when it is out, listening to the birds and reflecting on what you are grateful for can really uplift your spirits. Spend more time in your garden practicing mindfulness and embracing the beauty of the outdoors.
De-Clutter/decorate/spring clean your home – So many jobs to catch up on inside your home. I haven’t got masses of time but am trying to do a small job each day!
Compliment someone – Sometimes the simplest gestures and compliments and someone just knowing you are thinking about them can be enough to make a big impact on their day.
Offer your help to someone else – Offering your help to someone in need can also have a massive impact during this time of crisis. Many people are lonely, especially those living alone and can feel isolated. Showing even small amounts of care can have a massive impact on their day right now.
Keep in touch with the news but for many people it can make you feel more anxious so be mindful on the amount you are watching, protect your mental health and project your energy into some positive activities too.
If you need extra support I am available for a free chat – if you want to check in and chat then please message me and we can arrange this over the telephone or video chat.
Tel : 07399 738802.
Take care and
Stay safe.
Alison x