10 Tips to Thrive in a Covid Winter
In March we thought that it would soon be over. The onset of COVID had been unprecedented in our lifetime Living Through COVID. The death rates rising on the banner underneath the news broadcaster was paralysing for some. Fear took grip. Panic buying of loo rolls and dried pasta happened leaving supermarket empty, the like of which many of us had never seen before. Then the lockdown, having to stay home for weeks Now Is The Time!.
Humans Know How to Adapt!
We adjusted on the whole. Zoom became our social connection. The weather was unseasonably kind. The furlough for many helped ease the financial crisis or at least delay it. Working from home seemed like a good option, avoiding rush hour shaving hours from the working day. Home schooling was perhaps, in many households a bridge too far! Lockdown Fatigue Syndrome!
Then lockdown relaxed and life took on a more normal rhythm, all be it with masks becoming our essential go to apparel. Eat out to help out was the Government refrain in July and August. Lockdown is Ending but ‘Judge Softly’
Autumn Comes with promises of more to come!
September saw the schools and colleges reopening, businesses encouraging staff to get back into work. But in the background the virus was lurking, never vanquished just abated temporarily. Talk of it being a hard winter was bandied about but this thought was too alarming to consider in full technicolour. Moving on from Lockdown..
October saw the rates leap once again. Local lockdowns especially in the North continued to be in force. Rules of 6 became common terminology. The bans in households meeting other households spread. Limits on drinking in pubs started. The realty of a winter in COVID times became a reality.
10 Tips to Thrive in a Covid Winter
- You did it before. You can do it again, knowing this fact can build resilience.
- Remember what worked in Lockdown #, dust off those coping strategies and begin again!
- Rekindle the activities that helped you last time. Having a project in mind can help focus the mind in a positive direction.
- Look after your overall health. Exercise is a drug free way of managing anxiety and low mood. Monitor any underlying health conditions. Think about any health areas that may make you more vulnerable & address now. (COVID is especially brutal on those of us who carry a few extra pounds…but do this safely, seek support where necessary)
- Vitamin D! – Studies show that vitamin D is an ally in this war. We will lack bright sunlight going into winter so it is especially important to tend to this vitamin.
- Get outside and connect with nature. Nature is connection and can elevate our mood. Dress for the weather as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing!
- Build an outdoor space in your garden if you have one. Make a ‘room’ outside, find a way to manage the elements, invest in a fire pit or outdoor heater.
- Socialise to connect in a safe way- outside with social distancing if local rules allow, use face-time etc again…I know, burn out on these platforms is real but it is a way of having human connection over the coming months.
- If working from home, set up your home office so that you have a good working space that is as separate as possible from the rest of the household. Make sure your office equipment is as ergonomically suited as possible to your requirements. If the possibility of home schooling is on your horizon, then plan the practicalities now. The how, the where, the who…
- Agree with household members boundaries, roles…remember what worked and did not work last time. Share tasks! It is ok to ask for help.
This too shall pass…….keep safe….wash your hands…keep your distance…accept this is how it is for the time being.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Photo by Filip Bunkens on Unsplash