It’s getting harder and harder to remember a time when our day-to-day lives hadn’t been utterly transformed by the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown. When the workplace and the home were separate entities. When the act of going out for a walk didn’t involve masks, gloves and clinging steadfastly to a bottle of hand sanitizer. When we washed out hands less than 468 times a day. But the human mind has a tremendous capacity to adjust to impossible circumstances. Our mental resilience and toughness have got us through two world wars and numerous pandemics before this one. 

Image by Severyanka via Pixabay

 

Still, even the most indomitable will could do with a helping hand. Here are some things that we should all be doing more to safeguard our health and psychological wellbeing while under lockdown…

 

Cooking

 

When it comes to our health, nutrition is everything… well, almost everything. Still, one of the few silver linings of this dark and gloomy COVID-shaped cloud is that we’re all spending more time in the kitchen. Fast food and processed foods are harder to come by, so we’re loading up on wholefoods and enjoying more veggies and fruits. Not only is a diet that’s mostly (or entirely) plant based loaded with nutrients, it’s also extremely cost effective. 

 

Walking and cycling

 

Just because we’re under lockdown doesn’t mean that we have to spend our every waking moment indoors. There are lots of great things we can do outdoors either alone or as a family (provided that we adhere to social distancing). Cycling is an especially enjoyable activity that is a tonic for our physical and mental health. However, it’s important to be aware of cars- one of the most common causes of cycling accidents. Some irresponsible motorists are using the current lockdown as an excuse to drive recklessly or needlessly fast.  

 

Talking over the phone

 

Being self-isolated needn’t necessarily mean being alone. Your friends are only ever a phone call away. It seems like we use our smartphones for virtually everything but making calls these days. Checking in with our friends can work wonders for our mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, you never know how much your friends may need to hear a familiar voice. They may be feeling a little stir crazy after lockdown or even getting over the virus themselves. Making contact with them can make a huge difference in their lives. 

 

Reading

 

We have more streaming content than we can shake a remote control at. But don’t forget that too much time spent in front of a screen can be detrimental to our mental health and prevent us from getting a good night’s sleep. There’s a strong argument that we all need to be reading more books while under lockdown. 

 

Hugging 

 

Obviously, we shouldn’t be hugging anyone who doesn’t share the same roof as us. That would be the antithesis of social distancing. Still we should make sure that we spend some quality times in the arms of our kids and significant others. As well as bringing us closer together as a family, hugs bring a range of physical and psychological benefits and can even help to strengthen the immune system!