What a very strange time it has been of late?! Lockdown, social distancing, not being able to work, then you have to go to work, closing schools, opening schools, closing shops, opening shops, 2metres, 1metre + a bit etc …and in the middle of it all you/I!
Since March, due to the guidelines regarding Covid-19 the clinic has been closed. It has been a strange time, and I found myself going from having a busy schedule where I was out of the house six days a week to being in the house all day, EVERY day! Culture shock would be an understatement. In the immediate aftermath of, ‘Lockdown,’ my mind went into overdrive, and the levels of my stress just increased – the same for everyone! Along with the world, I found myself in a limbo of stressing about work, worrying about my health, my family’s health, struggling to adapt to not being able to go where I please, when I please. How was I going to cope?!
I had to switch off!
Switching off is a hard thing to do. I never realised that taking the time to do nothing can be hard to adjust to. Or even taking the time to re-evaluate immediate priorities and think to myself, ‘What should I be focussing on?’ My new lockdown life consists of spending time at home, doing some housework (to a poor standard), spending more time with my little girl and my other half and having time to concentrate on doing things other than work (and to my other half’s disdain, still not doing them! 😐 )!
These things that I previously neglected like my own fitness, thinking about my general health, giving myself a break and looking after my family and the home are/were now more of a priority. Somehow, adapting to this lifestyle, has been a very difficult experience. I’ve found that I had to learn being at home. I’m learning to be more present with my little girl and my other half. I’m learning how to live in this new way, where work is not the be all and end all.
To help achieve this, I started to exercise again. Exercising with my little girl and other half, something that I had never really done before and has been fun.
Consistency is something that I’ve lacked over the past few years, and as a result I have not been as fit as I wanted. I’ve found that I have used the time to start running again and build in some simple HIIT sessions that I can do with my family. Lockdown has surprisingly allowed me to be more consistent!
I started to think more carefully about what I eat too. Whilst I was never terribly unhealthy with food choices, I will admit, I would always have massive portions…and snack – mainly on chocolate! I have made some small changes to portions and have curbed my chocolate addiction slightly – the result, I have hit a weight and shape that I haven’t hit since before my daughter was born, but more importantly, I feel better about it. I’ve not done a massive drastic diet to achieve it either, I have made small, manageable changes that suit my lifestyle.
I’ve started to go on hikes and explore places that I live close to, but always put off going to. There is an area close by – The Roaches, in the Staffordshire Moorlands and part of the Peak District which I have neglected. Socially distancing with a friend, we’ve had a few wanders and the views are stunning. Something about being away from the town/city, in the peace, is really therapeutic. There is also increasing research which is supporting the positive effects of being in nature, both mentally and physically.
I’ve found that doing a little bit of something each day, or a few times a week, if I have not been able to do it every day, has made quite a difference to me. I feel healthier and stronger than I have been for a long time, I feel less stressed and when I am working, I am more productive!
Digressing slightly, but not so much, one of the main facets of osteopathy is treating the whole person, so consider the mind as well as the body – and that is what I have done during lockdown. Lockdown, as annoying as it has been not working, has had quite a positive influence on my life, which will hopefully have a positive influence on the people around me. There’s been a lot of negativity toward the lockdown, covid-19 etc which I know I have felt too, but, for me personally there has also been a positive impact – although, I still have a whole load of jobs to complete from our home list…which I better start getting on with! 😀 When all this has come to its conclusion, whatever/whenever that may be, there will be plenty of positives to look back on.
Has this Covid-19/lockdown given you any positives? Even if in only a small way?