| In these tough times, you may be finding it hard to strike the right balance of activity. Maybe you’re finding it hard to motivate yourself and get moving, or instead you’ve gone into overdrive, exercising every day, spring cleaning, baking and doing projects around the house. So why is it important to find a balance between the two? Finding time to relax, slow down and centre yourself is absolutely crucial for our health and overall wellbeing. We all lead such busy lives that a lockdown like this can be an opportunity to stop and reassess. Scientifically, rest has also been proven to help with: – Reducing stress – Boosting your immune system – Sleeping better – Restoring your mental energy – Improving your short term memory – Increasing your focus Since the UK has gone into lockdown, many people have said they are dreaming more, finding they are more at one with nature, they’re hearing the birds sing and enjoying the air being cleaner. It’s a great opportunity to tune into yourself if you can find the time. And if you’re struggling with your mental health at this stressful and unsettling time, take time to help yourself recover. So how do we create a balanced life? Firstly, think about the opportunities that lockdown presents us with and set some goals. You can set goals for the lockdown period or also longer term goals that will give you something to continue working on as the country returns to normal life. Your goals don’t need to be fitness or exercise related. Why not use this time to think about your relationships, your physical and mental wellbeing, your job or your finances? These all impact on our overall mood, so start by committing to make things better. Find ways to be present during the lockdown, whether this is spending valuable time with your pets, kids, partner or just appreciating your own company. Yoga and meditation are great for this, but writing or drawing can also help the creative juices flow, as well as helping you enjoy the moment. Taking time away from technology can also help with achieving balance – between working from home, video catch ups, social media and Netflix it can feel like we’re living our lives through screens. Commit to an evening or a day each week where you ditch screens and instead listen to music, read a book or have a bath. Listening to your body is key – sometimes you’ll have lots of energy stored up and a Bootcamp session or run is the perfect thing to do. Other days, you may feel tired and need to rest. That’s absolutely fine – listen to what your body is telling you and don’t feel any pressure to do what everyone else is doing. Getting enough rest is vital, otherwise you’ll send your body into overdrive. Over to you It may feel like a lot is out of our control at the moment, but creating a balanced life is something that you can achieve yourself. It’s absolutely worth the investment in time – your body, mind and overall wellbeing will benefit. |
May 28
Striking the right balance during lockdown
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