Marshall Centre writes:
It’s been hard keeping a healthy routine during the national lockdowns. Although you may not feel like there is any point in trying, it’s important for our physical and mental health to maintain some structure to our days… Even in lockdown!
"Maintaining a routine can help us feel more in control of everything. It’s a great way to cope with change, especially in these uncertain times and with consistency we can form healthy habits to reduce our stress levels and improve our mental health.” - Jo Boyd, Head of Wellbeing at Marshall Centre
Regular sleeping patterns
A regular sleep schedule will make you feel better and more productive during the day. With the days shorter and lockdown feeling longer, it’s easy to change your routine. If you have set times and stick to them, you’ll feel a lot better!
Create a schedule that works for everyone in your house
Doing this will ensure that important tasks are shared and completed like household chores, childcare and work. When you’ve shared the responsibilities fairly, it makes everything easier and clearer.
Drink water and eat meals
It’s easy to eat out of boredom or lose track of time and realise you haven’t had anything to eat or drink all day! So, make sure you’re eating all your meals and drinking regularly (you should aim for 6-8 glasses of water a day). This is the one aspect of lockdown you can make fun because it involves food. Make your favourite restaurant meal or cook something you’ve never made before.
Exercise
We’re pretty sure we’ve mentioned this in every Wellness Wednesday blog but that’s because it really does help your mental and physical wellbeing. You don’t have to run a marathon to see the benefits. Why not go for a walk, dance to music, or do some yoga with a YouTube tutorial? Set aside time every day, even if it is just 15 min, to do some exercise, it will release those endorphins and you will feel great after you’ve done it.
Pick up a hobby
Hobbies are great for your mental health, learning something new and doing something productive. It will release stress and sets some time away from your phone and news. It also gives you that ‘me’ time that everyone selflessly needs to incorporate into their routine.
Remember: consistency beats agility. We’re not saying it’s easy to have a routine but If you keep up with these steps you will see the benefit in the long term!
Marshall Centre now deliver Mental Health First Aid Training, to find out more, please click here
To find out more about our Wellbeing Apprentice Trailblazer please contact Head of Wellebing Jo Boyd on jo.boyd@marshallcentre.com