Lockdown is easing….but are you still looking after yourself?

How’s everyone doing? For some people the news that lockdown is gradually easing and shops and leisure activities are re-opening is welcome, whilst for others, the nervousness and caution is still ever present. Regardless of whether you’re enjoying more freedom with the lockdown lifts, or whether you’re remaining cautious and avoiding crowds and larger social groupings, you’re probably still experiencing the lag effects of being in lockdown for so long and operating less normally than usual.

Here are some more top tips of how to look after yourself over this stressful time in our lives.

Put yourself first

According to Eleanor Brown,

“self care is not selfish; you cannot serve from an empty vessel”.

Being overwhelmed, time-poor, and running on empty, will not only influence your own health and wellbeing, but also that of others. Focusing and prioritising aspects which positively influence your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health, is a priority, especially at times of stress, such as now. We are literally living through a life-changing event, so we need to ensure we come out the other side as intact and emotionally robust as possible. This will affect our resilience and ability to cope with stress in the longer term.

Try concentrating on breathing for a few moments, listen to music, practice meditation, engage in exercise, get outside, take an online cookery course, or watch a movie; whatever forces you to slow down and live “in” the moment is essentially self-care, and will differ for each person.

Look after your body

OK, so this is a biggie. We regularly service our cars so why don’t we do the same for our bodies? Bodies need regular replenishment (food, water, sleep), so it would make sense that a physical tune-up every now and then would benefit too, right?

Being pro-active in caring for your body, rather than waiting until things go wrong, makes it easier to get on top of ailments and injuries. Not sure where to start? Try the 3 quick steps in the video below to see whether you’re holding tension. If you find that you are, that’s a perfect place to start. Being aware is half of the solution!

To quote Jim Rohn,

“Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live”