Three weeks into quarantine and even the strongest are starting to show some signs of lockdown fatigue. There seems to be a split online of those who are staying super motivated, and those who are taking this time to rest and recuperate. If you’re starting to get a little bit bored and find your days all merging into one, take a look at this!
Write a Daily Schedule the night before (And Stick to it)
We’ve all been there. Laid in bed between 10-12 PM, telling yourself if you fall asleep now, you’ll wake up early and have a truly productive day tomorrow. Suddenly it’s 1 AM so you grant yourself a lie in the next day. That’s not your fault. Blame Netflix’s never-ending library of content.
However, writing a small schedule can break up your day, allow for creativity in the tasks you do, and give you a daily purpose. It can be as simple as writing what time you’ll have lunch or planning what film you’ll watch with your family.
Try something new
Challenging yourself with something new is one way to stay motivated and happy during the lockdown. Instead of doing the same hobbies you’ve always done, you could always try a new one. This could be as simple as going on a few jogs a week, trying new innovative recipes, learning the basics of a new language, or finally picking up that guitar you always tell yourself you’re going to learn how to play.
Recruit a friend
In times like this, we can all feel a little lonely. Even when surrounded by family many people can suffer from loneliness sometimes. We’re the most connected we’ve ever been, but the same tedious conversations are starting to get a bit boring three weeks down. Pick a friend to learn a hobby with, challenge each other and show each other the results in the evenings.
Write down something you’re grateful for
New research is starting to explore how gratitude works to improve our mental health. It’s very easy to complain about how this pandemic has “ruined your summer plans”, but a little bit of perspective can go a long way, each morning upon waking up, write down something that you’re grateful for and watch how your perspective will change.
Utilise the Government sanctioned exercise
Even if you’re not going to run a 10k, stepping out the house for a daily walk/dog walk is ALLOWED! (for now). Breathing in the fresh air and having a change of scenery will do a lot for you. No matter how big your house is, the longer you stay in it, the smaller it is going to start to feel. Before a bunch of idiots sunbathing in a park make the government take away our privilege, get outside.
Cut yourself some slack to stay happy
As per usual, social media has painted a picture that even in times like this, people out there are living their ‘perfect lockdown lives’. If you don’t want to work out today, don’t. If you want to eat ice cream for breakfast. Do. This is the most testing time for our generation, for some, it may be more taxing than for others. Do whatever you want to do day by day to survive this period and keep your sanity.
Written by George Cowell
Image credit (all images): Unsplash