Coming out of the holidays and into the darkest days of winter, we’re entering the hardest point of this entire pandemic so far. Days are short and cold, and lockdown means we have none of the winter coping mechanisms that are normally available to us. No travel to sunshine destinations, no cozy parties with friends, no walks in the greenery outdoors. Instead, we’re forced to deal with this period at home.
It’s not easy on anyone, and I call BS on anybody who says they’re completely fine right now. Knowing how much we’re all struggling, it’s important to talk about it with each other, rather than being led to believe that we’re the only one who feels the way we do.
I’m going to share a few tips for how to deal with lockdown that I’ve personally found helpful in January. I think that things will really begin to look up once spring hits, but in the meantime we need all the help we can get to make it through winter.
Tip #1: Talk about how you’re doing.
Like I said above, don’t bottle up those feelings of isolation. Talk about them, because you’ll quickly realize that you’re – ironically – not alone in your feelings of isolation. Everyone is experiencing the struggle a little differently, but everyone is struggling. Talking it out with someone who’s going through the same thing might just be exactly what you both need to dig deep and make it through these next 8 weeks.
Tip #2: Stay active and keep exercising.
We all know that exercising releases endorphins that make you feel good, but it’s more than that. Exercising makes you feel like you’re improving in some way during this time, instead of regressing. That feeling of forward momentum makes it easier and easier to say to yourself, “I can do this. Every day is one day closer to the end of this thing.”
Tip #3: Pick up a new hobby or three.
Similar to exercise, not only is learning a new hobby a great way to pass the time during lockdown, it also helps you feel like you’re improving in some small way. It can help take your mind off what you’re missing right now, and help refocus it instead on what you’re gaining in the process.
Tip #4: Try your mind at meditation.
It’s not as scary as it seems on the outside. I even wrote an article on how to get started with meditation. It doesn’t even have to be sit-down, self-guided meditation; there are a number of apps out there – Headspace is a great one – that offer guided meditation sessions where a soothing voice helps you focus your mind.
If sitting still isn’t your cup of tea, try moving meditation. It can offer the same benefits as sitting meditation, in a different package. Moving meditation can even be applied to things like plant care (something I’ve dug deeper into as a result of the pandemic), since the primary focus is the mindfulness you take with you.
Tip #5: Practice daily gratitude.
Finding things to be grateful for each day is like working out a muscle – the more you do it, the easier it gets. By actively looking for things that made you happy or grateful over the past 24 hours, you train your mind to keep an metaphorical eye out for them all the time, and it becomes easier and easier to bring more gratitude into your life.
And as we know, those good vibes go a long way toward stamping out the bad ones.
Wrapping it Up
I want to be clear here: admitting you’re not doing your best right now is a form of strength, not weakness. It takes guts to be vulnerable, and by speaking up, you may just help someone else who was struggling even more than you. Even the most resilient of us are having a tough go of it right now, and while we’ll get through it soon enough, we don’t have to make this lockdown any harder on ourselves than it has to be.
So share. Talk honestly about how you’re doing. Write it in the comments if you want, because I’m struggling just the same as you are. We all are. And our collective struggle is what unites us through this, even if we’re physically apart.
And by the way, thanks for sticking with me through the end of this post. I’m grateful for you, dear reader, and I’d be even more grateful if you’d share this post with your network… you never know who really needs to hear this right now.
