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Beating the lockdown blues

Lockdown 2.0 – this time it’s darker, colder and wetter. But there’s plenty of ways to keep your mind healthy and your positive vibes vibing – so long as you carve out a little time to take care of yourself.

With family games in the park and Couch to 5k a little less realistic to stick to at this time of year, the BeeZee Bodies team are sharing ways that they’ll be taking care of their wellbeing during this lockdown with the added challenge of the winter blues. 

Use this time to create a new healthy habit! 

Yoga makes me feel peaceful, so I am committing to a daily yoga session over the winter lockdown! I make it a really cosy and zen experience by putting on some calming music, lighting a few scented candles and wearing a snuggly jumper! Yoga is healthy for the body AND mind so I see it as a double win!  

 I’ve downloaded Yoga With Adrienne’s November calendar which gives a free guided practice on YouTube every day.

Rosie, Marketing Exec

“During tough times I often refer back to the seven skills of Resilience. All seven principles can be applied to everyday life even in lock down. My top survival principles are: 

  • Stay connected with sources of Support. 
  • Be helpful to others 
  • Activate positive emotion. 
  • Cultivate a Belief in Your Ability to Cope. 

During this second lockdown I will try and stay connected with family and friends, take the opportunity to read more books and stay fit by jogging as often as I can.” 

David, Outreach & Engagement

“Taking each moment as it comes always helps me cope with the present. Doing things that bring me small joy and add pleasure to my everyday life. Whether it’s lighting candles and a comfy blanket, a warm cup of tea, listening to E-books while doing house chores or a good old walk in nature, especially in the winter sun help me maintain a positive outlook… Reminding myself of my gratitude list in the mornings and evenings and starting and ending each day with a smile. It is going to be a difficult time for many of us, but hopefully we can support each other and get through it together.” 

Amina, Nutritionist.  

“I set myself projects to chip away at each day. During the last lockdown I made a photograph album of a big cycling trip – each day I would whittle down a few more pictures, and then once I had selected all of the best ones I made it into an album that I had printed using Photobox.com. It was brilliant to bring back amazing memories and also to get a job done that I’ve been putting off for literally years! 

This lockdown I’m planning on creating a recipe book of all of my favourite things to cook that I can share with my family. I’ll just chip away at it every day, but it’ll give me another positive thing to focus on.” 

Katie, Marketing 

I’m going to spend less time listening to the news and more time watching comedy shows and listening to uplifting music as well as actively looking for the joy in the small things such as the smell of a freshly brewed cup of coffee or getting into a nice warm bath and getting into nature as much as possible, even if it’s a short walk round the garden, looking for anything new that’s appeared or the changing structures of the flowers and trees as we move through the seasons. “

Sue, Referral Co-ordinator 

“After the first lockdown I found a few things that really help me whilst at home. One of those things is making sure I get outside every morning for a walk or run, no matter what! I look at the weather the night before, get my clothes ready (might need extra layers now, including a nice cosy hat and gloves!) so that it makes things easier in the morning. I find even just 15 minutes outside really helps me, and on days when I’m going for a walk I even make myself a coffee and drink it in my to-go cup whilst on my walk. It’s also a great way to stay warm! Another thing I find really helpful is when I’m done working for the day, I take 20 minutes to do something just for me! Over the last 6 months I’ve been using online yoga videos through the Peloton app (which has a 1 month free trial!) and I’ve found my favourite instructors so always look forward to the class and can choose an easier class if I’m looking for something a little gentler on my body. But if yoga isn’t your thing, even just taking a few minutes to watch a funny video or your favourite show (mine is Grace and Frankie on Netflix and it’s HILARIOUS!) after your working day is something I feel is really important and signals to my brain that it’s the end of my working day.”

Charan, Nutritionist

With the added challenge of the winter blues for lockdown 2, I am currently browsing for a big Christmas candle (there is so many to choose from: Santas cookie candle, mandarin & cinnamon or espresso martini!!) I’m going to turn my phone off, light my candle, snuggle into bed and read my book to have some relaxing me time each evening. Last lockdown I got into the routine of FaceTime-ing my friend each morning and doing a YouTube workout together. This time round our work schedules are different, so we have decided to have a DANCE PARTY on FaceTime each weekend!! We love using Kyra Pro’s YouTube channel as she has so many musical dance workouts: Mamma Mia, Hamilton, and more or less every Disney film!! 

 

Anya, Wellbeing Coordinator

One of the things that have really helped me to start my day on the right foot is going for a 20 minute walk or jog every morning. This gives me a feeling of accomplishment which goes on to encourage more positive actions and behaviours across the rest of the day. To relaxI love to listen to audiobooks. Audiobooks have helped me to get through more books than I would be able to by reading them. I’ve learnt a lot from my recent audiobook on Sleep anlaughed a lot listening to feel-good novels. I have downloaded RBdigital App which is a free library service and has a range of e-books, audiobooks, magazines and more!”  

Steph, Nutritionist

‘’Although lockdown can be a difficult time, I used the extra time I found myself having each day from not having to commute to work or to the shops, to put into things I had been consistently pushing down on my list of priorities. One of these being to try out new recipes more often. This helped dinner time become a special, nightly routine and helped to break up the day between the time I spent at home working and the time I spent at home relaxing’’ 

 

Dan, Nutritionist