Being stuck in quarantine can start to take its toll on our emotions,mental health and anxiety levels. We’re all in this together.
Some seem to do better than others with coping and making the most of the situation, whilst there are many of us that feel like we’re spinning our wheels and the situation is getting the best of us…
For the first few weeks of the lockdown, like many people, we felt lost and not sure what to do with our business but also with our lives.
Going from highly structured days and routines to the polar opposites put us into a tailspin!
Staying up late watching mindless TV, sleeping in, and finding meaningless tasks to fill the time…
Sound familiar?
We have all gone through it at some stage or another over the last couple of months.
Don’t get us wrong, there are times that sleeping in, and watching reality TV can be just what we feel like doing and give us that little bit of much-needed distraction.
In stressful times, we don’t want to rely on this as a coping mechanism for too long or allow it to give us validation to stick our head in the sand.
Believe it or not, but these types of coping strategies can be a form of low-grade stress and cause us anxiety overtime.
Recently on social media, there have been a few people posting and shaming people that, “This Coronavirus period is not a productivity competition” and that people shouldn’t feel pressured to be doing workouts, getting up early, learning a new skill or pursuing a passion project…
Whilst this may be true, as we all have different coping mechanisms, it is TRUE what they say about living a healthy lifestyle with daily movement actually HELPING to improve your mood, mindset and productivity levels, if you do ever feel like you’re in a bit of a slump.
Perpetually checking our Instagram feeds, playing video games, emotionally eating, or [insert short term distracting behaviour here] can give you that dopamine hit and make you temporarily feel better… But as a longer term strategy it can often make things worse.
Boredom in itself is a form of stress and commonly when we’re in this state we look for these types of things to distract us. It quickly becomes a vicious cycle of habitual behaviours.
What we really need is a form of mental stillness to alleviate stress and anxiety. An activity or practice that reduces cortisol, gives us perspective and presence of mind.
It’s not just meditation or breathing drills that can get us to inner quietness, but many forms of physical activities.
Anything that has an element of repetition and gives the ability to immerse your conscious thought in the task at hand.
Examples of this are just about any type of exercise, walking, puzzles, cooking, knitting etc.
The key is finding an exercise or activity that you can not only enjoy but can fully immerse your mind in it on a regular basis.
Much like anything in life, it’s the compounding effect that we’re looking for. Going for a walk, or doing an exercise once is not going to have a profound change on your mental state.
It’s the hours, days and months of habitual practice that will yield the positive change.
That’s one of the reasons why we are strong advocates of regular exercise and physical activity.
It’s just a matter of finding one method that works for you.
If you’re feeling anxious and bored, then instead of reaching for the distraction, try an activity we have suggested above.
Remember, small things become big things over time. Make the hard choices for an easier life!
Due to popular demand, we’re launching our famous Original #6in4Challenge online program! It’s based on our ORIGINAL face-to-face program, but now in the comfort of your own home!
It starts on Saturday 30th May and is a 4-week challenge to help you lose 6kg in 4 weeks (or to help you stay strong, fit and healthy at home!)
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