10 Things to Help You Feel Better (In Lockdown)
A little while ago now we published some top tips on how to help yourself feel better if you are struggling with your mental health.
That list was written in a much simpler time - when going outside and meeting up with friends were viable options. Now, the coping mechanisms many of us have feel out of date. Life in lockdown is really hard - add to that the sense that your tried and tested mood boosters are no longer feasible, and a stark decline in mental health seems inevitable. To try and counteract that we have written another 10 tips that the Harpy team have found useful – we hope they help you too!
1) Accept that this is shit. We cannot go see the people we love or go to the places that bring us joy. Rejecting feelings of sadness and frustration will only make you feel worse. Sit with them and accept that it is okay (and basically unavoidable) that you will feel sad and scared, especially as this is an unprecedented situation for our generation. We don’t have a rule-book on how we need to feel and behave right now. We are all figuring this out as we go along.
I have tried to distract myself by ‘staying positive’, or by overloading myself with work. Instead of making me feel more productive or focused, these attempts to force my brain to react differently absolutely backfired. I felt worse because I had set unrealistic expectations of myself. I was not able to be chipper all the time, I could not maintain my normal routine, and I was not capable of concentrating and working to the same extent as before the pandemic. NOBODY CAN. Cutting myself a bit of slack and allowing myself to lean into my feelings has helped enormously. We can only do our best.
2) Your productivity is not linked to your worth. This is more meaningful and important than ever.
3) Give yourself a break from social media. I know this is hard because, with less to do, we inevitably turn to mindless scrolling. But, no matter how well-curated your social media spaces, there will always be coronavirus related talk. This is fine if we are willing and able to engage - it is important to be informed if we have the capacity to take it in. But when feeling more fragile, it can be really anxiety-inducing to see your feed consumed by it. (Saying this, you need to follow Gina Martin and check out her daily ‘Vitamin P’ stories – they bring so much joy.)
4) Your body might change AND THAT IS OKAY. This is a really difficult time for people that struggle with body image issues, who have or are recovering from eating disorders, or for people with special dietary requirements. The LAST THING any of us needs is diet talk and body shame. We are stuck inside, bar our one hour of government mandated exercise, so yes, we may put on weight. That is not the end of the world, and people reacting like it is the worst possible thing to happen in the midst of a global pandemic need to stop and reassess the situation. People are dying.
5) Get baking bishes. Get on the banana bread hype and please, for the love of all things holy, can those people hoarding flour just stop. Comfort food is a must right now, and keeping your hands occupied can keep your mind busy too.
6) Continue to talk to people. Whether that be a phone call or a Zoom quiz, keep in touch. We can’t physically see our buds right now, but having a good chinwag and a giggle is always going to improve your mood!
7) Don’t compare yourself. It is so easy to berate yourself for feeling bad when we read the news and consider all of the other people that are so much worse off than us. Do not shit on your mental health by telling yourself that you do not deserve to feel sad or hopeless, because there are people suffering more than you. Their suffering does not cancel out yours and you are entitled to feel bad. (Although, if you want to help others, check out these tips on how to be a good activist and ally from home. Share the love!)
8) Do what you want to do. Read a book, or don’t. Watch a film, or don’t. Get into crafting, or don’t. Only you know what you feel like doing at any given moment. If you think it will help you, then do it, but if you don’t want to do anything except cry and drink gin, then forcing yourself into crafting a macramé rainbow maybe isn’t a good plan. Sometimes we need to have moments where we let ourselves feel awful and have a good cry. We can feel better for it afterwards.
9) Change the bed and open the windows. The house is going to get messy when you are in it all the time, but getting some light and fresh air is a must.
10) Finally, write a list of all the things you are looking forward to for when this is over. Plan for the future – because this will eventually end.
Sending love and light,
The Harpy Team xx
Title image by Paru Ramesh
