SMELL THE FLOWERS – mental health tips for lockdown
5 tips for looking after your mental health during lockdown
By Jacqueline Eyre
MNCS MHS
By Stress and Loss Specialist at
Eyre Therapy
How I know Jacqueline
I met Jacqueline, who runs Eyre Therapy, at a local FSB networking event held at Manchester Airport a few months ago. It was nice to hear someone deliver their 30 second introduction to the room on something that has true value on a human level. For that reason, I decided it’d be good to have a 1-1 with Jacqueline and when I started writing this blog, Jacqueline was one the very first people I contacted. Talking with Jacqueline also taught me the value of moving outside of my web development and SEO consultant circles.
For me, it’s all about our attitude, which is nicely summed up in my favourite quote….
“You can’t change what is going on around you, until you change what’s going on within you. Change starts and ends with you”
So here are my tips (in no particular order) on staying healthy whilst stuck at home on lockdown.
Nature
Use nature to fill your senses with calm. Smell the flowers, when we do this the smell goes straight to our memory giving us an uplifting feeling.
Listen to the birds singing, feel the grass beneath your bare feet – this gives an instant lift of well-being and grounds us back to nature.
See the video below.
Control
We can have so many distractions whilst working from home but the key is the take control of your day.
Make a plan, write a list and chunk your time into sections not just for the business tasks, but plan your normal day and include, lunch, breaks and use the 45 minute rule where we only work on one thing at a time to give us focus and be more productive and keeps our minds on track.
See the video below on Reframing Your Time
Stimulants
Although Nicotine, Alcohol & Caffeine may seem like a way to relax, they can actually aggravate our system which may trigger anxiety and panic attacks.
Because these are all stimulants, the closer to your bed time you have them, the more you may struggle to sleep.
Stillness
When we are concentrating on tasks we need to take a break and reset. We can do this by using a mindful technique. Breathing in through our nose a colour which makes us smile and fill our entire bodies with this happy warm feeling and hold that feeling.
Then breathing out through our mouth a colour we dislike and can attach to stress or feeling low and as we slowly breathe out this colour we are removing and pushing those feelings of discomfort away from us. This can be effective if we close our eyes and really imagine those colours. Repeat 5 times.
Magnesium
This really helps with some many symptoms such as insomnia, mood swings, anxiety, irritability can also help improve energy levels is a wonder supplement!
But don’t over do it!
Recommended daily amount is around 400 mg or you can get it naturally from green vegetables, such as kale, spinach, fruit, nuts and seafood.
A few new videos from Jacqueline
Sarah Steinhöfel
Sarah SteinhöfelContent Creator
The Smart Bear
Put simple things in place
My fear was that my mental health would take a massive nosedive. I’ve saved my sanity (for now – mental wellness is an interesting journey after all). My tips are:
- Do something you love every day. That for me is singing my heart out to Queen songs.
- Make sure that you have a home working setup you feel at ease in.
- Remember you don’t have to do more work just because you’re at home.
- Go back to school, have a timetable! Schedule the life out of your day.
- Just take one day at a time. This isn’t forever.
Steph Jones
Steph JonesCounselling and
Psychotherapy Services
Use Your Time Well
There has never been a better time to get the psychological house in order, utilise our time wisely, reflect, and plan for the future.
Are you happy?
What do you need?
Where do you want to be?
These are all areas of our lives which require (and deserve!) our attention as we contend with taking the difficult immediate steps to ensure our current safety and survival.
Full Article – How will you use this time?
Kirstine Pearson
Kirstine PearsonMember of Manchester Buddhist Centre
Meditate on Kindness
Really one tip: BE KIND to yourself. But I’ll break it down into some more specific suggestions.
- Notice the way you talk to yourself: would you speak to friend the way you speak to yourself?
- Appreciate all the things you do well, but allow yourself to not be perfect .
- Take time to enjoy beauty: blossom on a tree, music, a small act of kindness
- Look after your physical body: eat well and do some exercise each day
- Try meditation: The Buddhist Centre hosts a free online lunchtime meditation session.
