How to Thrive in Lockdown

What a journey the last two years have been for us here in Australia!

Bushfires, 2 lots of flooding and of course a worldwide pandemic.  

Here are some strategies that I have been using to stay positive and moving forward- even though I feel like the rug has been whipped out from under my feet!

Mind your mind.  

Practising gratitude helps to get me in a positive frame of mind. I try not to blame and instead try to forgive past hurts by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones by reframing the incident or person in my mind.

Evaluate how I spend my time.

Nothing like a good lockdown to force you to re-evaluate and release yourself from time commitments.  

I know in the past that I definitely had filled my days up with work, home, kid's activities, sports and events. But, as it turns out, due to the government restrictions, we cannot do many of those activities that we once filled our days with. Mainly work, with beauty and fitness amongst the first professions to get locked down.  

So now I've had a chance to really look at the activities that aren't in alignment with my most significant priorities and values.

Reading and Self Improvement.

Now is a wonderful time to read and learn. A while back, I put a list of books that had been recommended to me into my eBay account. I just wanted to see if they were available and how much they would be in total. Somehow I accidentally purchased the whole lot at once. It was a surprising $350 book purchase - I did want all of them, just not all at once. Regardless if you buy a stack of books at once as I did, or just pick up a book you've been interested in reading for a while - now is the time. 

Another way to thrive in a lockdown is to complete an online course. Maybe there's something you've always wanted to learn - now is your chance. There is a heap of free courses out there; you've just got to look for them.

Reduce Screen Time. 

Focusing your attention on television, movies, video games affects your life more than you think. The media, especially during a pandemic, can be a bit much as it begins to dominate your life. It also has a massive impact on your outlook, which unfortunately tends to be negative.  

Look after your mindset and turn the TV off.

Your Connections to the World.  

Relationships with others are essential in our everyday life. But, when we use these constant entertainment streams like social media, messaging, Instagram, etc., as a form to distract us from reality, it can actually negatively affect our health and well-being. 

Be mindful of your connections to the world and know when it's time to interact or take a step back.

Feed your Body.

It's super easy to fall into the trap of eating just "whatever" in a pandemic lockdown.
Try to focus on clean, fresh and healthy vegetables and fruits. Why not try a new recipe or two? 

As a general rule of thumb, if you're looking to stay healthy during lockdown

Avoid:

• Trans fats

• Refined grains (for example, white bread),

• Sugar

• Salt.

Eliminating or reducing these ingredients will improve your energy level quickly and improve your overall health in the long term.

Decluttering.

With spending more time at home, you'll start to notice just how many material possessions we have. "Stuff" takes the attention away from ones we love and the focus always from living a life based on our values. Non-essential possessions and clutter actually drain our energy and our attention.

A great exercise is to try removing (give away, donate, recycle or throw out) 5 items each day. You'll be amazed after a week how much more freedom and lightness you'll feel.

Reflect on Goals. 

If you're anything like me, you're always running a list of goals that you are striving for. Focusing on goals that are just a bit more realistic in lockdown time and reducing the number of goals you are trying to accomplish (1 aim for 2-3 goals per quarter) will help you improve your focus and achieve more with less stress.

Lockdown can be a setback for many, but it doesn't mean you can't continue to work on being the best version of yourself. Pause for a moment, reflect on your goals, and find the ones you can still accomplish and work to during this time. 

Save this article to Pinterest for later!