How to look after your mental health during lockdown

So here we are again, the U.K. is in it’s third lockdown and it kind of feels like we’ve all been pushed into a time machine and sent back to March 2020 doesn’t it? Mental health is something I’m really passionate about and well-being is a topic I like to talk about on here so I wanted to take this opportunity to have a chat about how I’m doing and how we can all look after our mental health during the Coronavirus lockdown. Oh I also wanted to share some beautiful photos from a recent walk that did my mental health wonders so I figured we might as well combine everything into this one post!

None of us wanted to start a brand new year like this even though most us could see it coming. That doesn’t make it any easier though and I really do think this third lockdown is going to be the breaking point for a lot of people. I’m not here to discuss whether we should be locking down or anything like that but I do just want to say I think there needs to be a lot more consideration for people’s mental health in all of this because people are not coping and mental health during the lockdown is going to become a major issue. While I’m no expert I am open to finding ways to look after my mental health better and growing and learning about my practices that can help with a healthier mind. Whether that’s natural remedies like Blessed CBD oil, better self care or even seeking professional help. There’s no shame in admitting you’re not ok.

I also want to point out that while I am in quite a fortunate position and I am well aware of that, it’s not a competition for who has it the worse. This is how I’m doing and feeling and there’s not a lot I can do about that!

My mental health in the third lockdown

Since the third lockdown was announced I’ve been taking to my Instagram stories to chat more openly about how I’m feeling so I figured it was about time I tackled it on here. I’m not doing great. It’s not purely down to the lockdown news but that really was just the icing on the cake (I mean if only all problems were actually as nice as icing and cake). January is never a great month for me, I always find this month a struggle and I spoken before about trying to to shift my focus in January to be more positive. I also have a lot going on with work. I never really discuss my job and I’m always very cautious of what I say online about work too so we’ll just leave it at being a contributing factor to my dip in mental health.

When the lockdown was announced it just added to both of those things. January is a bad enough month for me as it is and then it also added to my work stresses because I will still be going out to work as normal throughout the lockdown. There is no working from home opportunity for me. I work in a school and even though Boris has announced school closures I can assure you schools are not closed. I have so many mixed feelings about this, about how I will be working as normal, how social distancing cannot happen in my job. How I’m basically been told to put myself at risk when I’m at the bottom of the pile for the vaccine too.

So yeah, all of that has led to me feeling not so great. The constant cycle of going out to work and coming home on repeat with absolutely nothing to look forward to is bringing me down.

It just feels like we’re not living a life right now and it haven’t been for 10 months. The longer this goes on the less it feels like it’s all to try and get a normal life back. We were promised summer, we were promised Christmas and it’s just not working out. For me it’s work and home over and over again. I can’t get excited about my wedding, I can’t get excited about my 30th birthday. I can’t even see my family but I can go to work and mix with 20 people in close contact every day. It’s frustrating, it doesn’t make sense, it’s anger inducing and sad and ultimately it’s just exhausting doing this and feeling this way.

Tip for looking after your mental health in lockdown

So now I’ve had a rant and being honest about how I’m feeling let’s look at ways to try and help your mental health. I’m no expert and everyone is different but these are just some of the things that really help me and do actually make me feel better so they may help you too.

Get outside

Seen as outdoor exercise is just about the only other thing we can do aside from going to work if necessary then we might as well make use of it. I know you’re probably sick of walking, sick of seeing the same places. I know I am. But being outside does really help. I cannot even begin to explain to you how good the walk that these photos are from did me. It was so quiet and peaceful and the sunshine was just glorious. I’ll be making sure I go on a walk everyday after work too, to unwind and forget about the day.

Sitting indoors is the easy option I know that but sometimes you have to force yourself to get up and go to reap the rewards. When I went out the other day I was on my own for the day and it would have been so easy to stay in my pj’s, wallow and overthink. But it was an absolutely beautiful frosty morning. The perfect winter morning. And I didn’t want to waste that so I made myself get up and get dressed and I thoroughly enjoyed being out.

Allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling

This isn’t a competition for who has it worse. It’s OK to acknowledge that you’re in a privileged position, it’s OK to know that people are in worse situations than yourself but it’s also OK to know all that and still be upset and angry and frustrated. We’re all living through something we’ve never lived through before. Dealing with situations, feelings and emotions that are overwhelming. From the outside it’s easy to think I should be dealing with this fine. I have a job, a roof over my head and a loving fiancé who I live with. But that is the bare bones of it. No one has the right to judge someone else’s feeling and situation because you never know what is really going on.

So don’t feel guilty for feeing the way you do. It is more than OK for you to have all these feeling so allow yourself to just go with them. Cry if you need to, take a nap, sweat out your anger with a workout, bake a huge cake and eat three slices of it in one day, shout, scream, write it all down or you know, just make a blog post about it. Do whatever the hell it takes to get yourself through this nightmare.

Spend time with pets

I’ve spoken before about how good pets are for mental health. I’d honestly be lost without my two cats, they help me so much. So if you’ve got pets, spend some time with them. The chances are that day to day you don’t notice how good they are for you. It’s only when you realise you’re not doing so great that you come to see the positive impact pets have on your life. They give you a reason to get up, they’re something to be responsible for. They having a calming effect and provide a welcome distraction to what is going on in the world.

I truly believe that the power of a pet by your side it extremely underestimated. Not only have pets been proven to reduce anxiety but there’s also nothing quiet like your pet coming up to you for a cuddle when you’re having a bad day. I don’t care what anyone says, pets can sense when you need them the most!

Don’t watch the news

It’s rare that I’ll properly watch the news now. We used to have the news on a fair amount in our house, Josh and I both have English and Journalism degrees so it’s a bit of an old habit. But I honestly believe the news can be one of the worst things for your mental health. It’s so gloomy and there’s a lot of scaremongering that goes on too. So if it’s affecting how you feel then just turn it off, it’s the easiest thing in the world.

Not watching the news doesn’t mean to say you can’t stay informed though. I don’t want to watch the news but I also like to know what’s going on. We all know social media shouldn’t be your first port of call for facts however I highly recommend following Simple Politics on Instagram. It provides the facts without all the jargon and scaremongering. It also does a really good job of dispelling some of the scaremongering tactics too and properly explains what’s going on in a clear and concise manner that doesn’t mess with your mind.

Refocus your energy

I saw an absolutely amazing piece of advice from the amazing Gem (some of you may know her as The Mother Cooker) on Instagram the other day. She said, “If I have one piece of advice for this next lockdown, it’s to become more aware of what’s worth your energy.” That really made more stop and think. It came at a time where I feeling super deflated but also angry about work. I had a really good think about what was worth my energy.

It’s absolutely changed my outlook and it’s honestly really improved my mood. Being angry and upset at work and a lockdown that I can’t control really isn’t worth my energy. What is worth my energy right now is this blog and enjoying my walks so that’s where I’ve refocused all my energy.

Talk

Keeping things bottled up will make you feel worse but talking does help. Whether it’s talking to someone you live with, a friend or family member or even a stranger on the internet. I know a lot of people on social media have offered to be a friendly ear if you need to chat. Sometimes talking to a stranger can be better than talking to someone you know. We’re all in this together so there’s no need to feel weird about it. Be honest and open because there are going to be so many other people in the same position as you and you could just end up connecting with someone who you can help out too.

Remember there is always help available

If none of these things are helping then remember that no matter how you are feeling there is always help available. There are an abundance of mental health charities still operating throughout this and they’re only a phone call away. Don’t put off seeking help if you need to. Please take a look at this list of NHS recommended mental health charities for ways to seek support and get in contact with someone.

How are you doing, honestly? If you would like someone to talk to then my Instagram and Twitter DM’s are always open or you can always drop me an email lauren@laurenyloves.co.uk

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