I think everybody would agree that in recent weeks almost everybody’s lives have been flipped upside down in one way or another, and none of us was expecting it. For me, that’s been going from working 5 days a week in a chatty office, to working from home and isolating alongside my parents.
I am by no means in the worst possible situation here, but that doesn’t mean my mental wellbeing hasn’t taken a knock. With that said, I thought a little post about what I’m doing to maintain my mental wellbeing, that’s not having a pamper and reading a book, could be of some use…
How to maintain your mental wellbeing
Allow yourself to feel what you feel
For me, throughout the last 3/4 weeks, the biggest turning point has been recognising that it’s ok to feel how I feel. In one way or another, this pandemic has affected all of us. You’re going to have feelings about that, and that’s ok. Have a cry, and feel it out.
Don’t let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn’t feel
Likewise, you shouldn’t let anybody else tell you how you should, or shouldn’t feel. You are your own person, and everybody has their own ways of dealing with these situations.
Take time away from the media
The hardest part of all of this for me was how the C-word was everywhere. It was on every news channel, every email, every social media channel. With this in mind, it’s very easy to be overwelmed by it all. As hard as it is to get away from it, I can’t stress how important this is. For me, that means no news channels in the daytime, actively choosing to watch Netflix, read books and keep away from the more negative social media platforms.
Remove yourself from conversations
Sure, you can switch off the news quite easily, but it can be a bit harder to avoid the conversations this virus brings. Let’s be honest, there are not many topics to choose from right now, but removing myself from Covid-19 conversations is helping keep my mind elsewhere.
Don’t be afraid to tell your friends or relatives no. That actually, you don’t want to discuss it. If anything, they probably don’t want to either, and just needed somebody else to say it. You are not a bad person for wanting to avoid it.
What are you doing to support your mental wellbeing right now? Let me know!
Lucy x
