22/04/2020
Stay active and curious: 20 tips to help avoid sadness in lockdown
1 Look after key relationships. Your partner, your children, parents and grandparents, siblings, closest friends. Really try to look out for them.
2 Stay active. The temptation to do nothing is strong. Try to resist it.
3 Exercise. It is vital to physical and mental wellbeing.
4 Watch your diet. For many people, boredom = eating, dislocation = eating, loneliness = eating. It is important to be aware of it. Try to eat healthily.
5 Keep an eye on the booze. Someone tweeted recently: “This is like Christmas without the fun!” I think we all know what they mean.
6 Sleep. I have been struggling with this one. But an early night is a good night.
7 Read books. Don’t be a 24/7 news ju**ie. Books that have nothing to do with the current crisis, fiction or nonfiction, can be such a wonderful release.
8 Cut down on social media. Endlessly scrolling through Twitter and Instagram is not healthy.
9 Listen to music regularly.
10 Even better – make music. I play bagpipes and they are out every day.
11 Write down your thoughts. Keep a diary. Make lists.
12 Keep in touch with the people you would normally be in contact with.
13 Get in touch with someone you have lost contact with.
14 Do something good for someone else every day.
15 Do the easy things if you are finding it hard to do the difficult things.
16 Stay curious. Try new things.
17 Enjoy nature. If you follow me on social media, you will know I have been posting tree of the day photos (The Guardian has a tree of the week column). I cannot tell you how much pleasure I get on my morning walk deciding which tree to pick.
18 Remember that all crises end eventually. By the time this one is over, there will have been a lot of death, a lot of grief, a lot of suffering. But it will end, and most of the world will still be here. So …
19 Keep things in perspective. Don’t panic. And finally …
20 See an opportunity in every setback.
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