Coronacoaster: Coping in Lockdown.

How many of you have read this post and can relate?

If you have found you are, or have been experiencing mood swings during lockdown, know you’re not alone!

You may have found your emotions swinging rapidly from sadness, to fear, to feeling pretty positive overall. If this sounds like you, then that is completely understandable. COVID-19 most definitely is not a normal situation to have found ourselves in. We have seen a sudden, hugely disruptive change to our daily lives, which no one was prepared for.

Have you been worried, anxious, feeling overwhelmed or angry, or even found a sense of relief as you accept some of our current circumstances? You may have thought, “why is everyone coping but me?” The fact of the matter is, we all react to crisis in different ways. You may have a lot in common with many, but your main concerns may be different to someone else’s. You may have felt ‘out of sync’ emotionally with those in your household, which may have led to tension or arguments.

From living so up close and personal with family, flat mates or your partner - with constraints of social isolation, will somehow have impacted on you. Emotions can be ‘infective.’ You may have picked up on how those closest to you are feeling and have begun to feel it yourself. If those around you have been struggling to cope, you may have found you have got irritable, or even felt low in yourself.

Where possible try to accommodate those around you, their needs and differences, as well as your own. Providing each other with the space you need and from taking just one hour a day can make a positive difference.

We are not able to influence the actual course of the pandemic, but we do have the power & ability to influence how we respond to the situation. Being confined to our homes can make us lose our usual sense of perspective. Meaning we can get saddened or frustrated by things that normally wouldn’t bother us.

So what can help?

🏃🏼‍♀️Stick to healthy habits:

Daily exercise to help recalibrate your mood, keep a routine and prioritise your sleep.

📖Keep a diary:

Separating your worries into what you control now, and worries in the more distant future.

💆🏼‍♀️Be kind:

To yourself and others.

😇Stay hopeful:

Consider what you are grateful for.