“We will be closing indefinitely” On Wednesday night I had a little cry to myself at home because the gym where I work, where I have built my business and spent many happy hours, has closed to stop the spread of COVID19.
Everywhere in the world is affected by this, so let’s talk about how we can manage our time and our mental health in self-isolation.
Follow the guidelines
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in this time and it’s easy to panic and be panicked by others. First and foremost following the guidelines will make you feel calmer.
We are being told to practice social distancing in the UK while other parts of the world go into lockdown. Wherever you live it’s important to follow the rules in place to keep us, and others more vulnerable, safe.
But if you’re used to being active, especially if you go to the gym, this can be daunting so we need to do what we can to support our mental health and physical health. With that in mind, what can we do?
1. Focus on what you can control
You can control what you do and how you react to things, trying to control anything else will drive you mad. Just realising that can make you feel better.
You can control how many times you look at social media, what social media you look at, what the conversation topics are with your friends and family. You can choose to immerse yourself in media that makes you anxious or you can choose to limit your exposure to things that will make this worse for you.
Yes, be aware of what’s going on but don’t flood yourself with news that will make you anxious and scared.
2. Make a daily schedule
Maybe you’re working from home, maybe you’re studying, maybe you’re in self isolation or practicing social distancing. It can be hard to adapt to being in one place when you’re used to leaving the house.
While it might be tempting to treat this like a long lazy weekend it’s easy for that to affect your mood eventually. Without routine and habit we become lazy, unenergised and many of us will fall into low moods and loneliness.
Plan your day, even if its as simple as breakfast, shower, coffee, lunch, exercise, call someone, dinner, bath, bed
Whatever works for you but make a schedule and stick to it as best as you can.
3. Keep active where you can
If you’re used to lifting heavy weights at the gym then yeah, your fitness routine will look different. Especially if you have no equipment at home. This is where I can help you a bit.
I have designed a workout that can be done from home without any equipment. This is a free workout that is bodyweight only. There are several difficulty levels, choose the one that suits you best. You can access and download here.
4. Be mindful with your eating
It can be tempting to eat your quarantine snacks, or to buy more unhealthy food than usual either because it’s all that’s left in the supermarket or because this is a very stressful time. Practicing some will power can be difficult during this time.
Here I have three tips
- Pack all of your quarantine foods and snacks in a bag (or 2 or 3) and place them out of the way. Out of sight out of mind. Sometimes just having them away from your view can be enough to help.
- Avoid eating while distracted, even if this is something that you are used to doing, it’s even more important now. Eating while distracted means you’re not paying full attention to what you’re eating, you’re more likely to feel hungry sooner and if you have lots of food in the house to eat, it’s going to happen.
- Plan your meals, not only will this stop food going to waste by accidentally going out of date but it also gives you some structure in your day. Remember, structure can help you stick to a plan and the chances are you don’t have much structure in your day right now – at least less than usual.
I am launching a nutrition programme designed to help you with emotional eating during this time. It’s a 10 week intensive programme that will help you develop some essential skills to eating well and avoiding overeating while your day looks different.
If you want to build healthy habits around food that will last you though the lockdown – and for the rest of your life – you can find out more here about my 10 week programme.
5. Above all, be safe
COVID19 is scary. It’s overwhelming but we can get through this.
Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Avoid all unnecessary contact with others. Stay safe.
Ainzlie
