Mindful Matters

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing well.

Today, I just wanted to talk about mental wellbeing while staying at home, because I believe that it’s vital and contributes to our physical and emotional health.

The last few weeks have been hectic because my family’s whole routine has been flipped upside down and we’ve suddenly had to adapt.  I’m no longer going out to work, my husband has moved his office into our kitchen and the kids are home all day, every day. (Guess who’s homeschooling? Yeah, me!)

Often I look at my children and realise that we (adults) sometimes take on a whole load of unnecessary stress and kids just get on with their day – they love without limits, live, laugh and freely enjoy each moment. Who else wants to be like that?! Well, putting all of life’s pressures aside, I do.

So, here are just some of the things that I’m doing to keep my mind right while staying home:

Get out! I see a difference in my kids when they’re cooped up in the house all day compared to when they’ve spent time outdoors – it’s incredible, they’re like completely different people. The same happens sometimes when we’re indoors for too long. We can get bored, lack motivation, end up feeling frustrated, anxious and for some of us, isolation may be leaving us feeling low and lonely. Nothing beats all of these emotions like going outdoors for a walk – beside the canal, around your local area, maybe even in a park, but stay safe if you’re heading out.

Sing and dance! This is definitely one of my go-tos when I’m indoors and in need of an energy boost. You can get Spotify for free – all right, you might have to zone out for a few advertisements, but I’ve created a few playlists with my fave tunes and when I’m in my element, I shake off all the negative energy and feel so much better.

Connect with people! This is an important one for everyone right now. We’re all finding it difficult not seeing our families and friends and understandably for international students, you may be worried about your families back at home. Staying connected either by phone, text, social media or video calls can help maintain close relationships. Recently, for a relative’s ‘special’ birthday, we collated a short video with personal messages from family members and friends which added a special touch to her day. Thank God for advanced technology, now there are so many ways to say ‘I love you’ and for free – bonus!

Switch off! I’m talking about the news and anything else that might be causing you to stress. We’re getting lots of information on a daily basis that affects all of us, but if it impacts your sleep or makes you feel anxious and worried, then limit the amount of time that you spend watching the news (or switch it off completely).

Focus on something that will keep your mind positively active and do whatever it is that works for you – whether that’s online games, reading a book, baking, cooking, jigsaws, watching a TV series, sketching, writing or painting. I recently wrote a blog which included 5 ways to positively fuel your day – check it out for some more inspiration.

Look after your mind.

Thanks for reading.

SBS