Now more than ever we need to look after our own mental health and wellbeing, ensuring that we get through this lockdown in a positive mindset. We recently held a Positive Mental Health Webinar with Donna Breen, Counsellor & Psychotherapist for all our staff. We asked Donna to give us advice on how we can best manage our mental health and wellbeing. Here are her top tips to help you mange your mental health and wellbeing during lockdown.

1. Breaking our 6-week lockdown into smaller chunks of time

Try not to do everything in the first few weeks of lockdown, and instead break down into smaller chunks of time spread over the 6 weeks. This could include things such as redecorating a room, clearing the house or a room (which also helps to free up space mentally and physically!), connecting with friends and family, setting up zoom chats and starting a new book etc.

2. Exercise

Now the evenings are shorter we have a little less time to fill and can cosy up by the fire and watch TV! It is however, important to try and incorporate exercise into the day where possible. Consider using your lunch break for a walk or even walk in the evenings, remembering to have hi-vis clothing and lights. If you prefer to stay indoors you could consider an online exercise classes such as yoga, Pilates or HIIT etc. there are many local gyms and fitness groups offering online classes and looking for the support. 

3. Structure

Have a structure to your day - time to get up, lunchtime, exercise, wind down and sleep time. Set small goals each day to keep you focused and on track.

4. Sleep

Ensure you are getting enough sleep and if not, seek support as sleep issues can amplify our worry patterns and create a viscous cycle of anxiety. Also take note of the impact of our phones and how they affect our productivity & anxiety levels. If our day is unstructured, we can find ourselves mindlessly scrolling for hours and becoming very negative and creating a cycle of stress and anxiety at things we were not even aware of before. Keep phones to a minimum in terms of social media and as phones can greatly affect sleep it is recommended that you mute or turn off well before bed time.

5. Diet

Just like our sleep we need to be mindful of our diet. While nice foods and wine can surely help us through, we need to be careful that we have a balanced diet. Meal planning is a great way to tackle this and will help you to be more organised when shopping, and help to reduce the need to visit shops regularly and over spend on groceries.

So just remember, if there are things you wish to achieve this lockdown.

• set a goal
• chop it in half
• then take the first part of that goal and see what you need to do to get started
• list these steps one by one and complete each goal

Wishing you all a safe and healthy lockdown - see you all on the other side

For more information from Donna, you can visit her website here

While our offices remain closed, our business remains in operation with our teams working from home. Our Employer Service team is still on hand to help you find your ideal candidate. Click here to see how we can help you and your business.