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It seems like a few weeks ago it was corona who? And now you cannot go more than 30 minutes without it being the main topic of an uncomfortable conversation. It’s a scary and uncertain time and a lot of us feel lost as we move into a situation we have never experienced before, understandably fearing the unknown. This epidemic has burnt lots of people in many different ways but for those of you who are like me, it has put you out of a job, ruined imminent travel plans and not to mention life long dreams. Most mornings I wake up I have to remind myself I haven’t had a strange dream and that all of this is in fact really happening and it is all so scarily real. It can feel easy for us to fall into a slump as this oppressive energy sits over us like a heavy cloud. Especially with the weight and sustainability of the world literally feeling like it is crumbling down, there is a lot of weight on everyone’s shoulders. It’s normal to be feeling sorry for ourselves and pondering over the question why. Why us, why here, why now. While we could all sit around and ‘why’ all day, there is literally nothing we can do about it so we may as well face it head on. Despite natures efforts, I refuse to let the corone (COVID-19) get the better of us and have a game plan to bring me, my family, friends and all of you out of this with a smile on our faces. 

I like to be busy, I love having a diary packed out with appointments after work trip followed by a social event. The concept of not being able to move from one place for a long period of time makes me anxious and restless. Many close colleges and friends of mine are feeling this tenfold, working in the travel sector. We feel like we have lost our freedom, our right to have a choice where we go, how we spend our time and who we see. With the lack of clear guidelines from the UK government, feeling as if we should feel guilty for going to a coffee shop. Is this advised against or is this categorically un-allowed and unsafe? I am itching to get out of isolation and it hasn’t really begun properly yet. So how are we all going to make it through and more importantly how are we going to be able to do this with our sanity intact?

I have worked in the wellbeing world since I graduated from university, with people often looking confused asking the question, ‘What is wellbeing?’

As a wellbeing consultant, I specialise in all things that make you feel happy, comfortable and ’well’ in your body, mind and soul. Something that now we are all feeling threatened and at risk of deteriorating. If you don’t feel good in yourself maybe this will shed some light on why and help you realise that you are not alone and that there are things you can do to come out of this the other side. 

Back in the day, we thought if we ate well and moved more we would be fit, healthy and live a long and happy life. With mental health issues on the rise, it became clear to the world that these were not the only ingredients to live and feel ‘well’. Feeling well and happy in yourself, body and mind is an accumulation of different things that have to be apparent in your life. Ranging from being physically active to having security in your finances; having 6 hours of social interaction daily to having a deep understanding of your personal morals and values; to feeling valued and taking pride in your work to being outside embracing nature everyday… just to name a few. 

EMOTIONAL  

Stressful situations (such as this little worldwide health epidemic) can severely affect our mental health as it becomes harder to deal with depressive and anxious thoughts. Feelings of being trapped, unable to choose what you do with your time and fearing the unknown prospect of our futures can urge on negative thoughts until you feel you are moving in a downward spiral. Know that acknowledgement and understanding of where these thoughts are coming from is there first step. A big thing that can help, that we are going to explore on this journey is meditation.

PHYSICAL

A lot of people, myself included are avoiding the gym which the media suggest (rightly or wrongly) is a breeding ground for the dreaded corone. When you are used to the increased happy hormones exercises floods your body with, coming to a sudden stop and being sedentary has a massive impact on your wellbeing. Throughout this, we are going to try and be as physically active as we can, knowing that you already have all you need to be able to move!

ENVIRONMENTAL 

To feel we are thriving, at an absolute basic level we need to feel safe in our environment and at the moment this is not the case for a lot of people. Our current environment has changed for a lot of people. Those used to the routine of office life, or working at all. Those that have returned home from abroad or from different parts of the country. There will be some element of change and change by nature is stressful. There are lots of ways we can tackle stress, being realistic and not removing but reducing our immediate reaction to it. This we are going to explore in great depth. 

OCCUPATIONAL 

Most people will have had their work-life affected in some way or another. Ultimately this is a time to count your blessings, for those that are unable to go into an office, try and be grateful you still have a job. For those of you that have been made redundant be grateful for the family and friends that are supporting you through this time. Remember this is temporary. 

FINANCIAL 

Money worries bring about stress of a unique kind and can overwhelmingly affect everything in your life on a daily basis. Feeling this lack of security, this lack of ability to provide for your basic needs can leave you feeling lost and helpless. Again know that there is support out there and this situation is temporary. 

INTELECTUAL 

There is no time like the present to develop ourselves intellectually. Especially for those of us who all of a sudden have an abundance of time on our hands, we can actually use this as a positive, to our advantage to expand our knowledge and deepen our understanding of our topics of interest! 

SOCIAL 

For those of you that are used to working from an office and are being told to work from home, this can be a shock. On average we need 6 hours of social interaction a day. My heart goes out to family members that are separated and lonely at this scary time. Make sure you are talking and communicating as much as you can. Even if this is on the phone. 

SPIRITUAL 

Large epidemics such as this can really make you sit back and become quite reflective. If this can give us anything, it is the chance to slow down, be still and take some time to reconnect with what is important. We live in a society where everything moves at an increasingly fast pace and we are so used to having everything immediately here and now. So it is quite strange to feel a sense of we cannot have a lot of things that we want and we are actually going to have to wait a long time for them. Maybe this is a lesson that we can take away, good things come to those who wait. 

Knowing that we need all eight of these elements in unison to be balanced to have a good sense of wellbeing, to feel like we are thriving, no wonder a lot of people are feeling in turmoil, upset and not themselves. 

More recently there has been a large shift in lots of people taking great care in their wellbeing, still, lots of individuals turn their nose up at the concept and don’t give it the time of day. Despite the fact that due to the arrival of our beloved corone, myself – along with a lot of close friends and family members are out of employment, I actually feel I have a lot I can offer the world at this strange time. As now more than ever it is not only a time that you should prioritise your wellbeing but for a lot of us, a time that we are able to because we finally have more time to do so. 

At the moment taking into consideration the increased overwhelming depressive and stressful energy, this can be a difficult headspace to get into and I might have lost a lot of you already, you might think I’m deluded. But the way I see it is we either move through this with hope and perseverance or we let it break us. For me it’s a no brainer, I know exactly what I am going to do. 

Over on my Instagram (youfindingbalance) I am going to be posting daily to give you inspiration, motivation and determination to implement small positive actions into your day that are not only going to help you cope with isolation and a potential lockdown but actually thrive throughout it. I will be blogging here as well to go into more detail on certain topics if you need any more convincing. 

So I give to you…

THE TWELVE DAYS OF LOCKDOWN THAT CORONA GAVE TO ME!

Starting tomorrow with day one, I will give to you tips, tricks and challenges to keep you mentally, emotionally and physically well. 

And remember, all failing your car is a prime spot to escape and scream 🙂

All things love light and laughter 

Jas x