Staying well in lockdown

Keeping well while you're staying at home

It is a weird world right now. As I write this we have been in lockdown for one month in the UK and we have at least another two weeks of this. People are getting into a new routine with things like shopping and working. I have noticed that there are a lot more tins and toilet rolls in the supermarkets so that is a blessing at the moment.

However, it is easy to fall down the rabbit hole and start to feel helpless when this is all going on. Mentally there are a lot of people struggling at the moment. It might be because you are cut off from friends and family, or you just look at the world and feel totally helpless with everything going on. Some of us already have our fights with mental health and this is pushing us further and further down.

Then there is the physical aspect. How do you stay fit and healthy when you are stuck at home? This is especially hard if you live in a block of flats. There is also the temptation to snack for some people and others might be so worried about what is going on that they don't eat at all! I have been down that route in the past and it is not just weight loss that is a troubling aspect of that behaviour, but it is also malnutrition. We think of that as being something that only over weight people have, but if you lose weight through not eating then you will also be suffering with it.

Physical Health

What I am going to do in this blog is put down some of the things that I have been trying while in lockdown. These are literally just my personal experiences and I know that other people will be experiencing things differently.

Food

It is important to try and maintain a healthy diet while in lock down. I have been less physically active, not through choice, during this period of time. Usually I walk just over 1.5 miles to work and another 1.5 milese home each Monday - Friday. The journey there is even up a fairly steep hill and I carry a backpack so I get a decent work out to start the day. My journey to work now consists of me waking up, going down the stairs for breakfast and straight back up them to the office for work. As a result I have found myself not as hungry sometimes. At other times I am almost ravenously hungry!

Eating little and often is important if you are having worries that are stopping you from eating. That sounds like it is easy and you have probably heard it before, but it is sometimes hard to remember to do. Making sure you have enough energy to get through the day will also help you with your mental health as well as your physical.

I have always drawn up a meal plan. This is so that I remember to buy enough dinners during the week for me and my husband and I base my shopping list off of my meal plan and add in extras (like cereal, cleaning materials, etc.). Try and think of things you will enjoy eating and have those. Don't force yourself to eat a boring meal because you think you have to, you won't want it when it comes to it. Have something you know you will salivate over.

Make sure you have a balanced diet though. If you just eat carbs all the time then you will just end up absolutely bloody knackered! That is why all the pasta panic buying frustrated me. Yes, it fills you up, but you will just end up bloated and exhausted. It turns out there is plenty of fresh vegetables and meat available so you can come up with a nutritious and exciting meal.

Of course, you should only go shopping if you are ok to do so. If you are showing symptoms you should be self-isolating with your family and no one in your household should be going out. There are priority supermarket delivery slots available or you can reach out to friends, family and community groups to pick up your click and collect deliveries or even do some shopping for you. If you do go shopping remember to keep a 2m distance and be sensible. Also, don't be rude to people working in shops. Many of them are scared and just want to be safe. They are putting themselves on the front line and are there so we can carry on buying food and stay safe while doing so.

Exercise

Certainly in the UK we are allowed out of our houses for one period of exercise per day. This goes for anyone who is healthy and is not in an at risk group (those people are supposed to stay home and should be a few weeks into a 12 week complete lockdown) or those who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 (you should be isolating with your family).

Every lunch time my husband and I take a walk together. We either go to the local shop, that is about a 15 minute walk each way (then he goes in while I wait in a safe spot away from other people), take a walk around our local park (Riverside Park in Southampton is lovely) or we wander round the massive graveyard at the back of our house.

Yes...we walk around the graveyard. The people out there are not in a position to be of harm to us and we cannot harm them. Also, there are very few people out there and it is like walking round a huge field with lovely cherry trees all in blossom at the moment.

Swaythling Cemetary is a peaceful and lovely place all year round

Walking in the spring sunshine has done wonders for me both mentally and physically and I will continue to go on this walk as long as I can. It is so peaceful and helps you to reset your mind while putting so much into perspective.

Cherry blossom

My husband taking a walk in the sunshine with the cherry blossoms out

I know that everyone is in a different situation, but walking is something we are all allowed to do. The other advised forms of exercise are running or cycling. What you must not do is go to a park and do something that will put you and others at risk. Keep moving and keep your cardio up.

Personally I have been trying some other things while in lock down. I am lucky enough that we have a lovely back garden so I can get out there and do gardening, which is also a great form of exercise. Early on I ordered myself a skipping rope so that I could keep my cardio up and I have been doing short bursts of that. It has been helping with my restless leg syndrome (one of the reasons I walk so much usually) and helps to wear them out enough for me to get some sleep.

About two years ago my husband started rebuilding his PC and saving so that he could buy a VR headset. This is a great form of exercise and we use that at least once a week in our living room. This is great because it is something we can do safely at home. We warm up by playing a bow and arrow game and then we take it in turns to play Beat Saber because that actually gives you a full body cardio work out. This is great fun too and gives us something different to do in the evening. I totally understand that this is not a thing that is possible for everyone, but I thought I would mention what we have been up to because it is just a bit of fun.

Mental

There are somethings here that could come under physical health and some aspects of physical health can come under mental health. It is a long known idea that exercise has a positive effect on mental health and eating well can also help with this. Getting out and having some sun on your skin is also great because the vitamin D makes you feel more positive and gives you more energy so that daily walk, or, if you are lucky enough, sunbathing in the garden, is really important.

Exercise can also help you to have a better sleep schedule as it will make you feel tired later in the day. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule will also make you feel more positive and happy when you are then awake. Make sure you get a decent amount of sleep by keeping your room cool (you are allowed to open your windows) and you have clean and comfortable beds.

This might seem hard, but limit your news intake. For some people that might mean limiting their use of social media. That point is difficult because we also need it for one of my upcoming points, staying in contact. It might be worth muting certain words so that you keep your timeline free for other things or just socialising. In terms of news you do need to know what is going on, but find a trusted source (e.g. I go to the Guardian) and only set aside about 20 minutes to take in the day's news. Don't spend all of your time obsessing over it and make sure you stick to your brief consumption of trusted information.

Figuring out what works for you is important. Some people are working from home, some have lost jobs or been furloughed, others are trying to do these things with kids at home. I am in the lucky position of being able to work from home and so is my husband. We work for different universities, so we are trying to keep our bits of our separate institutions together in the same office.

Me and my husband in our office. We have 'his' and 'hers' gaming chairs and desks so we have a good set up

For some people routine is important. For a number of years I have been fighting Generalised Anxiety Disorder. What this means is that I can do things 99/100 and be fine and then that one time will set me off for no apparent reason. I thrive from routine and this has been a real shock to the system for me. My daily routine of getting up and going to work was disrupted. I even have a routine for my weekends that has actually been maintained rather well.

At the weekends I go shopping, do housework and the rest of the weekend is mine to do what I want with it. That has not changed for me in a huge way. The only thing that has changed is that my husband is not allowed to come into the supermarket with me at the moment so I have to go on my own. This would normally be a nightmare, but with limited numbers allowed in, and the use of self scan handsets in my local store, I don't have to worry so much about other people and can get through regardless of my anxiety. During the week I have had to come up with a new routine for motivating me to do do my work and get through the day. That is working for me and my husband though so that can only be a good thing.

However, this doesn't work for everyone. For some people it is helpful to be flexible. There might be times when they are just not in the right frame of mind for work and it is important that they look after themselves during that time. Being able to dip in and out of work or homeschooling is a very important thing for some people and if that is what it takes to get through this then that is what you need to do. Find out what works for you and do that. Don't punish yourself and judge yourself by other people.

Talking is so important. I am lucky to be in lockdown with my wonderful husband and he has years of dealing with my low spots as well as my highs. Some people are not so lucky and are locked down on their own or even with abusive partners. If you are in a situation where you are locked with an abusive partner you must call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline run by Refuge: 0808 200 247.

This is where social media comes in as a force for good. We hear about data mining and spreading of 'fake news', but it can keep us connected. I have used every messenger service under the sun to stay in contact with my friends and family through this. We have been relying on video calls for meetings as well. The other weekend our annual Wrestlemania party was hosted on Facebook Messenger video call while we all watched from our separate homes. At the weekend my brother-in-law hosted a gaming evening via Zoom and that was great fun and a welcome distraction. I have been able to share my burdens and the good times with people. I know it is not the same, but it is so important to keep in contact and keep talking.

Our online gaming evening via Zoom (other video conferencing apps are available)

Remember, we are all in this together and we will only get through it together. It is hard to be locked down, especially when the sun is shining and we all want a get together. I miss being with people at work as that social aspect is as important as the work itself. I miss my friends and I miss going to see my parents.  Everyone is in the same position and we all know how everyone else feels.

This will not last forever. As a species we have survived some impossible things over the millenia. We will defeat this and we will mourn for the people we have lost and we will learn lessons from this. The best of people will come out of this and it will be the compassion and the bravery we all show. Remember, you might feel helpless, but you are also a hero for staying home and doing your bit to slow the curve and take pressue off of the NHS and other key workers. Thank you and remember, we are all here for one another.

If you need to talk you can find me under @SarahHarding1986 or my wrestling/mental health twitter @Sezarico. If you follow me I will follow back and you can DM me whenever. I might be working or sleeping, but I will always get back to you so don't think I am ignoring you.

Stay home, stay safe, stay awesome.