Keeping a Warrior-Mindset during Lockdown

November 11th 2020, during our second national lockdown, we may all be experiencing many different levels of stress at the uncertainty of this predicament in Ireland’s COVID culture. While ‘hope’ glooms at a Christmas re-opening and a vaccine in Spring, what is extremely important is that we all look after our physical and mental health as best we can. Here are the top 10 coping skills I have learned during lockdown restrictions in keeping a Warrior-Mindset.

1. Keep in touch with people! Be it family, a neighbour or a co-worker, stay connected even if you don’t feel like it! Reach out to another if you believe they are struggling and never feel you are on your own. If you have dreams, plans or ambitions – share them with someone.
2. Exercise. Easier said than done in many cases, especially if you have kids at home to occupy. Find time for yourself, take a walk, run, swim in the sea or find an online class. Try and keep moving, especially if you are stuck at a desk during the day. The more you move the better your mood and I don’t mean religiously counting steps but getting the oxygen moving around the body and blood flowing.
3. Eat well. Also easier said than done. But this is what I believe to be the real success in sustaining a very healthy life. Make sure you are eating breakfast, getting the right proportion of nutrients into your body. Healthy body means healthy mind – if you don’t feed yourself the body will become stressed and unable to function. If you are unsure about your nutrition – contact me Here!!! Also look at what your kids are eating, evaluate their mood at different times of the day. you would be surprised at why low mood can be a key factor to a wrong diet regime! N.B Support Gut Health!
4. Take up a new hobby this Winter. Most people use the “I don’t have time!” excuse. Please make time. If kids are the issue consider signing them up for an Online Class for an hour a day while you find yourself some time to try something new or something you have always planned to do.
5. Spend time outside...weather permitting. Try not stay cooped up indoors. Take a walk in the fresh air. It helps clear your lungs. Indoor air often has a suboptimal balance of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, especially in enclosed rooms with poor ventilation. It can give you more energy and mental focus.
6. Keep a mood diary. Why? It’s simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. And if you struggle with stress, depression, or anxiety, keeping a journal is a great idea. It can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health. I constantly work with kids and wellbeing journals, especially during COVID-19. Happy Confident Me is a super journal for kids as it teaches Growth Mindset Training. Please read my article on How Heidi uses growth mind-set training with kids.
7. Get creative at home. People always have a problem with this one. Have a think about expressing yourself through different forms of art- outdoor photography, art, music, pottery or put a bit of jest in the cookery. This is what I did: Heidi gets creative!!!
8. A daily reminder. Basically like a mantra, tell yourself and remind yourself, whatever the predicament is – “you are a Warrior”!! You are a survivor and you will get through this.
9. Keep the conversation going with the kids. At times we all want to switch off but sometimes turning to too much technology can be harmful on the mind, be it computer games or spending way too much time checking the phone. Have a go at ‘story telling’ and spend quality time with family. Time is something we seem to have a lot of…so use it wisely before our very busy world takes fold again. Tell your children of remarkable role models in history!
10. Don’t be so hard on yourself. In difficult times we tend to beat ourselves up a lot – we think we are not doing enough or anything at all. Take a breath, remind yourself of everything that is going ‘right’ and what ever the predicament – things will change. Soldier on – one day at a time.