Another lockdown here in the UK. Our third… it feels different to the second one and even the first one. For these reasons:
- There’s no novelty in it – strange as it may seem, we humans thrive also on novelty and certainly, during our first lockdown there was a sense of learning together to understand how to navigate through. Plus we thought it was temporary.
- Lockdown 3 is particularly associated with a newer more infectious strain of the virus, which can in itself heighten feelings of uncertainty about what to expect.
- It’s January with fewer hours of daylight and quite literally gloomy days to get through.
- We are dealing with prolonged stress. We don’t deal with stress well anyway, especially as the lockdowns take away many of our resilience factors around social interaction.
- Long-term stress is a very serious problem and we have all been in a long term stress situation for the past year.
There is one thing you can do which will help…. Among many others but if you can just do this one thing:
get yourself out in nature every single day this month!
January has actually always been my favourite month and I still feel that way about this lockdown January. I know I’m probably in a minority here (in the Western hemisphere anyway) but I still just love this contemplative, reflective and really beautiful time of year. Nature teaches us so much. These pics are all taken from my morning walks with my two dogs over the past week or so. Blue skies! Look up! Gorgeous trees!
My mantra since January 1st is to simply do more of what makes me feel healthy and gives me energy. So – more walking, more yoga, more swimming – yes, let’s try open water swimming, more energy-sustaining foods and I’m even doing Dry January which is helping me feel better and so much lighter (yup, actually lighter on the scales!)….
The single best thing you can do right now is move and get out into nature.
Just 5 minutes a day can give you a boost but ideally get out there for at least an hour.
You don’t even have to live in the countryside like I do – just get outside, get to a park, find green spaces, walk and be alone with your thoughts. You will feel better immediately. Nature is like medicine for your soul – and for anyone feeling anxious in any way – it is the perfect antidote. During the Winter especially, we need to get out into nature every day. Not just for that vital Vitamin D because we should go out in it whatever the weather.
Scientific research has proven that being out in nature improves our psychological wellbeing and reduces our stress levels. We are hardwired to thrive in natural environments! We are not supposed to be boxed into rooms without fresh air, glued to screens or hunched over our phones.
I seldom feel either stressed or anxious even right now and maybe I’m lucky that way but just maybe it’s because I’ve learned how to create good balance, switch off, nurture my wellbeing and still be vital, productive and useful. Take 5 minutes and go outside.
