With New Zealanders now being housebound with family or flatmates and our accustomed lifestyle turned upside down, nerves are destined to snap. We asked Angelena Davies, coach, retreat leader, speaker and writer, for some tips to ease anxiety during the lockdown.
4 tips to ease anxiety during the lockdown:
Always check in with you and your feelings. Do this every day and even several times per day – your mood changes throughout the day, consistency is very important. For example, you might be feeling frustrated because you’re an extravert, a social butterfly trapped at home, or you’re feeling fear around money and income, or even guilt for being so joyful and happy while staying at home. As soon as you identify your emotion, spend some time tunning in with it, feel it really deep, grow into it, identify where exactly do you feel it in your body and put your hand there and really-really-really feel it. You’ll notice that the emotion starts to grow until it reaches its peak – it will be really hard and uncomfortable and you might want to move away from this emotion at this stage. Instead, just sit with it and keep feeling it until it starts to disappear almost magically.
Try to flip the situation. Look for small blessings instead of looking for things that annoy or disappoint you. You don’t have to shave your legs – no one is going to see them! You can put on the same clothes you were wearing yesterday – who cares! No one is around, it’s ok. It’s a blessing that you can sleep in. Looking for blessings will help you to feel good during the day.
Find YOUR routine. We’re living under the pressure of the external world in terms of how we structure our day. A lot of people work 9 to 5, there are also strict school hours, we’re supposed to have lunch at the same time. But every person is unique and these hours might be not the best for you. Now is a really great moment to try something new! We have all this time on our hands now, so try to tune in with what feels right for you at every moment of the day. People are creatures of habit and if your normal routine feels right – go ahead with it! If want to sleep in or work in bed – try it! This is your time. Move with the wind and see where it takes you. You might as well realise that sleeping in is not for you – it feels heavy, it doesn’t feel nice. But allow yourself this experiment. But if it feels right, if it feels fun and joyful – than this is what you should be doing while it’s possible, this is a good thing for you.
Wellness. It’s a key right now! If you aren’t happy in your normal love – you won’t be feeling well. If you’re unhappy in a lockdown – you’ll be unwell too. And not just physically but also mentally. Happiness lives in the present. You can’t be happy in the future. Try to be really mindful and be in the moment – that’s how you can experience happiness.
