Lockdown is starting to ease up for a lot of us and that means a strange immersion back into the world, one we may not be quite ready for. Things have changed, this isn’t the 2020 it was in January, we can’t expect things to go back to normal right away. But this can really take a toll on your mental health. Here are a few tips to help take care of your mental health as lockdown eases.
Don’t force yourself, move at your own pace
I think this is the most important thing at the moment. Everyone is going to be doing things at different stages. Some people may be perfectly okay to head out for a safe socially distanced lunch at a local spot, but you might not be on board with that just yet – and that’s okay. There’s no time limit for when you have to return to normal, there’s no manual on how to do this. The media crammed fear down our throats for months, so it’s natural we don’t suddenly want to leap into the open doors of shops and food places. If you don’t want to go somewhere you’ve been invited, don’t feel bad about saying no, your friends should understand. Similarly, if you’re ready to go out and others aren’t, that doesn’t mean you can’t. Don’t feel bad about wanting to go out either. Move at your own pace.
Don’t look at clickbait or falsely researched articles mention COVID
The media loves to hyperbolise anything and everything it puts out, and why wouldn’t it – the stories with the dramatic and grand statements get the most readers. But that doesn’t mean we’re reading the truth. I made the decision to stop looking at major news sites a few weeks into lockdown because it just wasn’t helping my mental health. There are definitely sites that are providing encouraging information, which I won’t diminish. But a lot of media sites are out there to provoke fear, create panic and sell more stories. Therefore I think it’s a good step in protecting your mental health to not read such sources.
Treat yourself with something you love
We’ve all been through a stressful time, be it with a job loss, personal grief, isolation, or many other reasons. We deserve a break, we deserve a treat and kindness. That treat doesn’t have to be something expensive or that involves going outside, it can just be a nice long bubble bath, or an hour to yourself reading, or having someone in your bubble cook for you. We can so often focus on what we shouldn’t be doing when it comes to mental health, that we forget to let go and breathe every once in a while and do something for ourselves. So don’t focus on the news, don’t focus on the outside world, just sit and relax and enjoy something that makes you happy.
Make sure you are properly prepared
The thing with our mental health is we can’t control it, I could feel fine one minute and the next have a complete panic because something has triggered my contamination OCD. It is completely unpredictable. But what we can control is how prepared we are to deal with the world. If you are choosing to go out, or even meet with friends/family in the correct and advised ways, it’s best to know you’re prepared. Have a little bag of the bits you need when you leave the house, hand sanitizer, a face mask, a tissue, hand cream because we know that all that hand sanitizer is destroying our skin. By preparing the things you can control, you’re removing at least one of your potential issues.
Use this time to reflect
When there’s so much stress happening it can help to take a step back and think about yourself. Think about your goals, where you’re going, what you’re doing, what your plans are. This is a time of isolation really, we have the opportunity to be able to assess our lives and see if we like the direction they’re heading in. It could be a time to change up your routine and add a daily yoga session into your time, or maybe to finish that thing you’ve always had on your mind. You don’t need to take up something new of course, but what a brilliant time to take a look at your own happiness and work out where you’re heading in life and how you can help yourself get there.
Try not to overthink things
I know this is a bit of an odd point and often can’t be helped. But honestly, it’s something that has helped me. I have a friend who is handling all of this quite well and is keen to get back to normal, she isn’t really too worried about going out etc if she is safe. I recently had a social distanced meet up with her and I felt worried about it in advance, but I knew she wouldn’t be. I wanted to go though because I’m trying to slowly do more ‘normal’ things. The way I ended up thinking about it was she wasn’t worried, she’d be in the same place as me and come into contact with the same things and she wouldn’t be worried. Chances are she’d also have no repercussions either, and she didn’t. I would go through the exact same thing but be really worried about it for days before and after and she wouldn’t worry at all. I know I’ve said do things at your own pace, which is obviously very important. But for me, it helped to put myself in my friend’s shoes and see that she wasn’t worried, so maybe I could tone down my worry just a little bit. And do you know what? It kind of worked! I know this isn’t one for everyone, but it helped me for sure!
I sent this to my sister recently as she’s been feeling anxious about the situation and she said she found it reassuring and helpful. It also really helped me to see things from her perspective and change my approach. Thank you!