How To Ace This Summer: Listening to your body during post-lockdown life
While many are excited for lockdown restrictions to ease here in the UK, many are uncertain about what this might mean for them. Many people have reported feeling heightened anxieties around leaving the house, returning to work, and socialising more frequently. We have put together some advice on how to be kind to yourself during this potentially stressful time.
Listening to your body’s social battery:
Our body has ways of telling us when it is tired or has reached its limit. If you are having difficulty focusing, feeling fidgety, tired, or burned out, then these are all likely signs of needing to retreat and spend time alone. If you are having trouble setting boundaries with people, try leaving ‘slots’ in your day for as long as you like. Use this time to ensure that you have time to focus on your own needs in a safe space.
Building immunity, boosting energy, and giving yourself a well-needed lift:
Get yourself into good habits by taking your Fighter Shot every morning before going out the door! Fighter Shots contain all-natural ingredients, such as ginger, a powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation, protect the body against colds and flu, and reduce nausea and pain.
Know when to take a break (and not feel guilty about it):
Don’t forget to take breaks regularly throughout the day! It can be easy to continue your day without listening to your body, realising you are hungry, in need of a rest, or a change of scenery. Try going for a short walk on your lunch break or using this time to do something you love, like talking to friends and family or simply watching an episode of your favourite TV show. Everyone needs time to rest and unwind, it's important to set these boundaries to ensure that you have a divide between being available for work and other commitments and doing things that rest your mind.
Go at your own pace:
Maybe you are excited for lockdown restrictions to lift, but anxious about attending too many social events at once. It is completely understandable to feel excited and yet still overwhelmed by these changes. Communicate with those closest to you the pace you plan to go at, events you are excited to attend, some you may give a miss. By talking to other people around you, you may even realise you are not the only one experiencing these feelings.
Reframe negative thoughts and document your feelings:
Another great habit to get into is making a note of your emotions and analysing the process behind them. If you are feeling particularly anxious, it might help to document this and ask yourself why you are feeling this way. It might help you to recognise the early onset signs later and help you to vocalise these feelings to other people. You can share your thought process with people you feel close to, or simply use this to become more self-aware without feeling the need to discuss.
You may experience negative thoughts about lockdown ending, it is always important to attempt to reframe these. It might help you to write down and separate these thoughts and take a more positive approach if possible. You might feel anxious about seeing a large group of friends but choose to reframe this feeling by understanding you can leave whenever you want to and go into the situation with an open mind.
We hope that these tips help you to get into good habits ahead of lockdown restrictions lifting. Remember, you are not alone in the way you feel. We encourage anyone who is struggling with post-lockdown anxiety to share these thoughts with trusted family and friends to ease this stress.
Are you looking forward to restrictions ending? What are you most excited to do?