WELCOME back to our exploration into all things emotional, brought to you by Heartwood Counselling and Psychotherapy. In this issue we take a look at how to protect our mental health and wellbeing in a currently fractious world.
To say 2020 was an unpredictable and unprecedented year for all of us is an understatement!
Although we are still adjusting to a ‘new normal’ and reacting to the latest lockdown announcement, we have a glimmer of hope that we didn’t have in the first lockdown with the promise of a mass vaccination rollout.
However, it is going to take us time to get to the light at the end of the tunnel, so we wanted to turn our attentions to how we can all look after our mental health and ensure our wellbeing in the coming months.
Firstly, it’s important to ‘check-in’, both with yourself and others, to establish how you and your loved ones are feeling. Although we may feel like seasoned veterans when it comes to staying at home, this is still new territory for everyone, so it is natural to find current circumstances stressful, overwhelming, lonely, even scary. You might see some benefit from talking. Everyone can benefit from talking with a trusted person, which may help you to understand what you are feeling. Maintaining relationships is trickier now we have to rely on the phone and video calls, but also very important for our mental health and wellbeing. During the early days of the first lockdown, the Office of National Statistics’ Opinions and Lifestyle Survey reported the equivalent of 7.4 million people said their wellbeing was affected through feeling lonely.
There are also a range of mental health charities on hand to offer support, details of some of these are available from the NHS at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ stress-anxiety-depression/mentalhealth-helplines/
Tried and trusted steps we can take to maintain our physical wellbeing include eating healthily, drinking plenty of water, maintaining a regular sleep schedule and taking regular exercise. Under current lockdown restrictions, you can take exercise outdoors, but it should be limited to once a day and only in your area. The last lockdown inspired people to become creative with indoor exercise and there are plenty of online exercise videos, classes and resources to help you keep active at home. Again, the NHS offers a range of Fitness Studio exercise videos, which count towards the recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity. See: https://www.nhs.uk/ conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/
It’s worth noting that providing voluntary or charitable services are reasons to be able to leave home during lockdown (depending on the circumstances and organisation, volunteering can also happen from home). Charities and support services could benefit from volunteers now more than ever before, so this can be a rewarding way to spend any additional time you may have and help you feel part of a community, even if this is not in the physical sense.
Now life has altered for many of us, it might be helpful for you to think about your current routine. It’s important to include a balance of the useful tasks you need to keep on top of (such as housework) along with enjoyable hobbies or activities. As well as giving you a sense of control over your day-today life, ticking things off your ‘todo’ list will also give you a sense of accomplishment. You can also have fun and maintain cognitive skills with activities such as word puzzles, Sudoku, mobile games and jigsaws as cognitive skills wane with age. These are great ways to ‘train your brain’, along with exercise. People who have found themselves with additional time on their hands have even found learning a new skill or taking a course beneficial, giving them a chance to finally start something they have been wanting to learn for a long time, or enhance their existing skills. Most importantly, make sure to carve out some time for yourself, even if it’s just a mindful 10 minutes. The trick is to find any activities that nourish you, so you can maintain your health and wellbeing without it feeling like a chore.
It may yet be some time before restrictions can be significantly lifted and in some ways, this latest lockdown can make us feel we are back at stage one, so we need to remind ourselves that this new routine will not be forever. There are a number of positive things we can take away from this – such as seeing community spirit shine through and a chance to review and rethink our priorities.
We hope you stay safe and keep well.
Heartwood Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training are based at Dartington Space, Dartington Hall, Totnes. Visit www.heartwoodcounselling.org or call 01803 865464.