5 Ways To Protect Your Mental Health During the Second Lockdown

5 Ways To Protect Your Mental Health During the Second Lockdown

The announcement that the UK, along with other parts of the world, were going into a second lockdown was not exactly the news that any of us really wanted to hear.
It seemed that we were seeing the light at the end of the very long, bleak tunnel, but it seems as though we now have to get back into our loungewear, work from home, and do all of our shopping online in our bid to stop the virus from spreading again.

November is supposed to be the time that people are getting excited for the upcoming festivities of Christmas and celebrating the New Year together.
Arguably, it may seem that there’s not been an awful lot to celebrate this year, and the previous lockdown could have been seen as a great time of reflection for people who usually keep themselves overly busy.

However, with another lockdown looming, there are certain things that we need to do to make sure that we’re all getting the level of self-care that we need.

Here are some of the things we can do to protect our mental health during this second lockdown.

Learn From Last time

During the previous lockdown, many people decided that time off work would be a great time to learn new things. Ranging from how to crochet, bake banana bread and sourdough, write their bestseller-basically putting a tonne of pressure on themselves to be better.

Some people were really successful in this, and others felt as though it wasn’t something that they wanted to do. Either is fine, as long as you have the physical and mental capacity to deal with it. Know that if you’re better conserving your energy by laying low, then that’s just as okay as those who want to do everything possible to keep themselves busy.

Life is different than the ‘last lockdown’- we’re tired from the months before, and the change of season can make a real difference to how we handle things- don’t put pressure on yourself.

Limit Your Exposure to the News

The News can be an informative platform to get some information about the goings on around the world. While it’s important to stay informed and up to date with everything going on, you also need to limit your exposure to the news.

Make sure you get the information you do need from viable sources and not from your group chat or from people’s ‘credible’ meme sources on social media. Stay informed, but protected from misinformation and scaremongering.

Listen to Your Energy Levels

Sleep is probably one of the most important things to get enough of for our overall mental and physical health, as well as for our wellbeing. This is especially true during traumatic periods of our lives.

It is incredibly important to make sure that you listen to your energy levels and only do the things you feel capable of completing. Rest is the one thing that will help you to tackle these things head on.

Because, when it comes down to it, our heads being filled with anxious, spinning thoughts can make drifting off at night even more difficult. Here’s where taking some form of supplements can help.

The sleep hormone, Melatonin can be supplemented to help to induce good quality of sleep.

Others may choose to use substances such as CBD oil, , a natural derived product which is easily ingested in gummy form. CBD can help to ease anxiety, offers pain relief, and can also help to bring on sleep.

Reach Out And Seek Help

2020 has been HARD! And it’s natural to feel as though you’re being buried among the sand when you’ve overwhelmed.

The phrase ‘we’re all in this together’ is extremely true right now. It means reaching out to friends and family when things seem more challenging than you’d like them to be, or by accessing some mental health services online who use their expert skills and training to help bring you back to a better place.

There’s never any shame in seeking professional help, and a pandemic is no exception.

 

Remember: This Isn’t Forever

There have been huge pandemics in historical times, but they are just that- in history. They didn’t last forever, and neither will this one. This means we won’t have to stay home forever without seeing our friends and families.

For now, keep strong. Reach out if you need help, and keep washing your hands and keeping your distance until things get better.

We will get through this, together.