Raise your hand if the thought of another lockdown fills you with dread. Lockdown, isolation, quarantine, whatsoever you want to call it. Still dreadful.
I remember the first lockdown vividly. The restrictions in movement, the walls of my house closing in, the extra weight, the constant pressure to do more than I normally would, because I, supposedly, have more time. I had headaches for days and a constant aversion to getting up.
I’m sure many of us felt this way. In our defence, it was our first lockdown.
With the Omicron variant colouring the horizon, it’s safe to say there might be another lockdown on the way. The second wave of lockdown is already underway, with countries like Austria leading.
Hopefully, this second lockdown won’t be as toxic and demanding as the first one, especially if we take note of the following things.
First, we need to establish that people experience quarantine differently. People with office jobs would have to transition to working from home. Those with outdoor jobs like construction would have to stay home, probably doing nothing. Those without jobs, who do nothing, but have an active social lifestyle would have to be content with an online social lifestyle. See where I’m going with this?
Good routine
For all these people, the first thing they should consider is establishing a good routine. What are you supposed to do at a particular time? Plan it and stick to it.
For example, taking your bath in the morning, dressing up. Even if it’s switching to a different pyjamas. This might seem like a no-brainer but really think about it. Without anywhere to go, when do you have your bath? Doing this every morning could motivate you to do other things because now you’ve intentionally started your day.
Exercise
Without having anywhere to go, burning calories might be trickier, which could cause you to gain weight and could lead to a host of health issues. Adding exercise to your daily routine would help solve that problem. There are many home workouts you can do. Many channels on YouTube and apps on app stores can help you with this. About 150 minutes of exercise is enough to keep you healthy. Remember, exercise boosts your immune system too, which you need during the lockdown.
Eat healthy
This goes without saying. It’s easy to get stuck on cereals, carbs and junks during isolation. I understand, they are easy to eat, and sweet too. But they wreak the most havoc on the body, the immune system no less. So, plan for lots of veggies in your diet. Lots of fruits too. Reduce the junk food, the carbs, the saturated fats. Also, remember to drink lots of water and avoid alcohol and other psychoactive substances like tobacco as well as you can. Taking supplements would also help to replace any other vitamins you can’t get in your diet. You need all the nutrients you can get.
Cleaning, decluttering, gardening
You can also add cleaning to your routine. Vigorous cleaning can keep you busy and help in burning calories. If the days seem long and the work seems small, you can consider cleaning with a toothbrush. That’d be something. Decluttering will help you remove things you don’t need, give you more space and of course keep you busy. You can have a yard sale, virtually, or after the lockdown and make a little extra money.
You finally have the time to trim those hedges and make that lawn look as good as you want, so go ahead and do that
Clean places and open spaces are good for mental health, which you’ll have to specifically care for during the lockdown.
Keep in touch
Friends and family are needed more during this time, as it is very easy to feel alone. Message, video call, spend as much time as you can with them virtually. Thankful for the metaverse, you can now interact virtually with your avatars and play games with your loved ones on platforms like decentraland. Plan virtual tours of famous places. Your mental health would thank you for it.
Be productive without the pressure
I implore you to add tasks to your routine that will help improve your life. Meet your self-improvement goals. Learn a new skill, a new language, get better at something, you can even start an online hustle. But let these goals be realistic. Don’t set the bar too high. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Ignore your Instagram friends. In fact, if resting and binge-watching Netflix is what is good for your mental health, do that. I remember during the first quarantine I joined so many groups and started many courses, I ended up not finishing them. Set a bar that works for you, God knows that’s what I’ll do.
Have fun
Like I said, do what is good for you. Take out time to rest and enjoy yourself. Try that recipe, play that game, read that hot steamy book you’ve always wanted to read while polishing off that bottle of wine you’ve been saving. Have fun, you’ll need lots of it.
