Today is National Stress Awareness Day. The UK will also be going into our second full lockdown tomorrow, so we wanted to start highlighting some helpful organisations and articles that help with mental health, stress and anxiety. The next few weeks are going to be a huge struggle for many. We want to help you feel less overwhelmed in this surreal situation, which causes feelings of uncertainty, worry, loneliness and frustration, across every age group.
We think it’s important to keep it simple. Trying to follow countless pieces of contradictory advice on what we should be doing and feeling, only ends up making you feel even more overwhelmed or inadequate.
Today, we have listed ten top tips for coping with lockdown from Matt Haig. Matt is the best-selling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet. His new book, The Midnight Library, is out now and is at the top of our lockdown reading list.
It tells the story of a girl called Nora who feels she has nothing left to live for. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. She wakes up in a library where each book is a possible alternative life she could be living. As she experiences these alternative lives she comes to realise the importance of the “small things that make a big difference.” The acts of kindness that can mean so much. Reviews have described this book as incredibly uplifting, thought-provoking, beautiful escapism and a comforting read for this moment in time.
TEN TIPS FOR COPING WITH LOCKDOWN BY MATT HAIG
1. Get a routine. Uncertainty can be a source of anxiety. Routines are the counterbalance. Make it a baggy one though. And let it feel natural.
2. Limit news intake. We aren’t designed for a continuous 24/7 overload of bad news we have little control over. Rolling news and social media has health consequences. Be aware of how they make you feel. To add to this - don’t watch the 10pm news before bed if you have trouble sleeping. Stick to the 1pm or 6pm news to keep you informed without leaving you worried before bed. The 10am Emma Barnett Radio 5 Live Show has been getting us through our working day!
3. Ditch guilt. There is no ‘right’ way to live through this. Just getting through alive is sometimes enough.
4. Remember you don’t have to be productive in your downtime. You don’t have to bake banana bread or learn the mandolin or study Italian. Having a shower and eating toast and existing is just as legitimate. Though if you do want to make something, make hummus. It is a pretty chill activity I find.
5. Reframe uncertainty. Uncertainty can have positive effects. When we realise we can’t predict the future we can spend that energy in the present. Focusing on the place and people and world right in front of us. ‘Live in the question’ as Rilke put it.
6. Breathe. Breath is your mood barometer. To know how you feel, place your hand on your stomach and feel your breath. Then slow it. A busy brain wants nothing less and needs nothing more than to slow down.
7. Use social media mindfully. Connect properly. Don’t just go on random like sprees. Don’t scroll through feeds that make you feel bad. Converse. Console. Connect. Then take time out.
8. Don’t be a dick. Wear a mask. Don’t spread unchecked conspiracies. Look after the vulnerable. Support the health workers. Caring feels good and reminds us we humans are truly in this together.
9. Appreciate the outside world. Nature is calming because it connects us with eternity. The sky is always the sky. A tree doesn’t give a shit about the news. We are nature. We become ourselves within it.
10. Remember this will one day be over and we will appreciate the things we couldn’t do more than ever before. This is a massive value check. We have learned what we really need and miss and what and who we can do without. And very often the worst of times lead to the best of us. Change is pain, but pain is growth. We sometimes need the shade to accentuate the light.
We recommend following Matt for more helpful advice @Mattzhaig
Stay safe everyone.
Tamsin & Alexandra x