#16 Lockdown 2.0 Survive & Thrive List
~ 10 minute read time ~
So it’s another lockdown for the UK, the sequel not many wanted but most feared was coming. From Thursday 5th November (Guy Fawkes Night!) through until Wednesday 2nd December we’re all back in lockdown. As Brenda from Bristol would say “you’re joking - not another one!”
“You’re joking, not another one!”
For some this will be harder than the previous one because we thought we were past the worst of it, we thought we were maybe out of the woods by now and we were starting to think of having a nice family Christmas. Then, like a heavyweight knockout punch that catches the opponent square on the chin, the Government delivers us a blow that might take us down to the canvas for a ten count.
We’re made of much sterner stuff than that though aren’t we? Well, the emotions will be running high for many of us so I thought I’d put together a survive and thrive list that may help. Lessons learned from the first lockdown should stand us in good stead, except the weather won’t be as warm!
Instead of arguing and moaning, we must allow ourselves a short wallow period but as soon as we can accept what is happening - we can’t change it, so why waste the energy? - we can get on with each day as it comes.
Our friends the Stoics, are here with some helpful wisdom from 2000 years ago to help us now in Covid-19 ravaged 2020:
“Just keep in mind; the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”
“The whole future lies in uncertainty; live immediately.”
“It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.”
“To be stoic is not to be emotionless, but to remain unaffected by your emotions.”
Onto the aforementioned survive and thrive list, here are a few short tips that may help you manage your emotions and get your mindset right for the next 4 weeks and beyond:
The Lockdown Survive & Thrive List
Don’t panic, don’t spiral, don’t dwell. It’s happening, there’s nothing we can do other than to look after ourselves and our loved ones. Remember the oxygen mask analogy? Make sure you’ve got yours on before you try to help anyone else.
Now you’ve accepted it, you can plan your course of action. Think about who needs help - elderly neighbours or relatives, can you help with the shopping, can you walk their dog for them? By helping others, it makes us feel good and takes our minds off our own moods. Equally, doing nothing is also fine - just be.
Emotions will bubble up, don’t judge them, feel them, lean into them and learn what they’re trying to tell you. Limit your consumption of the news, only read or watch what you need then switch it off.
Take each day as it comes. Yes, this is an overused cliche but it’s true. At the moment we’re told lockdown will be 4 weeks but who knows how long it’ll be. Just focus on the present moment, be mindful, bring awareness to every little thing you do.
Alive time vs Dead time? Choose how best to spend your time. The Stoics talked often about alive time - doing things to pass the time that enriches us whether that’s reading, exercising, yoga, stretching, going for walks, doing an online course. Whereas dead time - is the time we spend that’s wasted where we mindlessly and passively watch TV, binge Netflix, scroll endlessly on our phones, consuming social media. Choose how you spend your time and which one will make you feel best.
Focus on self-care - wake up, stretch, walk, have a nutritious breakfast, wash/shower/bath, stick to routines, do the hobbies you love, take scheduled breaks whilst working from home.
Cook from scratch. Make dinner, follow a recipe, make a soup, bake some bread. Be creative in the kitchen, get the kids to help, make it fun.
Your energy will be up and down so just do what you can each day and don’t feel bad if on some days that it’s not very much at all.
Re-commit to calling friends and family, the novelty may have worn off following the previous lockdown but get those Zoom quizzes back on.
Catch up on your reading - look in the Reading List section at the end for some recommended reading to keep your spirits up. Get lost in a great book, travel somewhere wonderful in your mind.
Just know that this too shall pass. We’ve all been through the first lockdown, we can do it again. Envisage the sun shining on your face and its warmth, the sun will shine again. We will all shine again.
Wear a mask. We’re all in it together again. Just realise that you’re not missing out, we’re all back inside. Don’t argue with others regardless of their opinions - there are conspiracy theories, there are people for and against lockdown, is the pandemic a hoax, does big business stand to gain from our collective misery? Who knows? Who cares? Just keep your counsel and go about your day.
Appreciate nature. Go out for walks, get some fresh air where you can safely, look at the trees and the animals. Notice how nature just gets on with life, we can learn a lot from nature.
It’s cold and wet outside so wrap up, be cosy by the fire.
Get yourself a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle and complete it.
Keep your sense of humour.
Be kind to yourself and compassionate with others, everyone will be reacting and responding differently. Some may need a kind word, a thoughtful text message.
Celebrate the newness of it all. To me, it feels like a spiritual reset button has been pressed - we’re now being given even more time to re-assess our lives, to really focus on what is and what isn’t important to us. As Matthew McConaughey talks about in his new book ‘Greenlights’ - it’s an enforced winter. A flower doesn’t bloom all year round, so let us use this extra time to listen to our intuition, turn inwards and hear what our souls have been trying to tell us for years. Embrace the opportunity for change.
Practice gratitude. Yep, feels like the opposite of what you feel at the moment but trust me, gratitude is spiritual currency. If you practice being thankful for what you have, without focusing on what you don’t have, you’ll realise how lucky you truly are. If you have a roof over your head, shoes on your feet and food in the fridge - you’re better off than A LOT of people on this planet. Be grateful every day, life is not a given.
Breathe deeply, try meditation. Google “Wim Hof method” and try it out. Also, try cold showers they’re invigorating and cold water is amazing for your lymphatic system.
Hopefully you’ll have found some crumbs of comfort here. If not, make your own list that makes you feel better about this next trial we find ourselves facing.
One last thought I find comfort in is this; just realise we are living through a specific moment in history.
Books will be written on this period, sociological dissertations and scientific papers will be submitted about the affect of this pandemic both on physical and mental health and the overall impact on society.
This will go down as a defining era akin to the Bubonic Plague, both World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, The Cold War, the War on Drugs, Reaganism & the consumerism of the 1980s, Gulf War, 9/11, the Credit Crunch and now the COVID-19 pandemic.
So just think, in the future when this has all passed and been written into the annals of history, when your grand-children ask you what you did during lockdown Grandma/Grandpa?
Make sure you can tell them that you met it with good humour, kindness, compassion, courage and strength.
Tell them stories of how you spent your days, how you improved yourself and how you didn’t get beaten down by all the naysaying, the Fake-News, those idiot politicians and online trolls.
Tell them you rose above your fears, your base animal instincts, you raised your level and brought a new energy and vigour to your life that carried humanity onwards and upwards.
Imagine that.
Imagine how inspiring your story will be and the proud smile on your grandkid’s face.
Love
LP x
Reading List
These are some of the books I’ve read recently that have really helped and influenced my thinking in a positive way. They’re all readily available from all the usual places:
‘The Universe Has Your Back’ by Gabby Bernstein
‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey
‘Inward’ by Yung Pueblo
‘Think Like A Monk’ by Jay Shetty
‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael A. Singer
‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle
