This morning, I woke up with a bit more anxiety than yesterday. I went for my run at 7am and it didn’t take long for me to feel like I was finally breathing again 💪🏽

Thank G-d my family are healthy and we have been following the Government Guidelines. The reality of social isolation is definitely starting to strike. I am feeling it and sensing it in ways that I would not have foreseen 😧

I feel fed up with social media, I am sceptical of messages and reports forwarded to me on Whatsapp and I look forward to FaceTime chats with my family and friends even without any make up. I am just so pleased to see their faces and don’t care what mine looks like 😯

I have seen a meme that mocks our generation, that our grandparents were conscripted to fight on the front lines whilst our fight, our front line is fought from the safety of our sofas. In a world where mental health and anxiety have become topics of discussion and the focus of campaigns, it seems relevant and important to discuss how to maintain mental health and manage anxiety in these circumstances 🙏🏼

I have come up with a few tips for staying positive. Some of these I do myself, some I plan to implement and others are just ideas. I would love to hear what other people are doing to stay positive. We have to stay strong for ourselves, our families and our friends. We will see each other again soon 💗

1. Set yourself a schedule – break it down in to manageable chunks of time e.g. 30-45 mins and these can be high level things for example “afternoon activity” which can change each day for variety.
2. Exercise daily – walk, run, do a home workout, join a Zoom class.
3. Limit screen time – set a timer on certain apps or just control yourself.
4. Write down your worries or talk to someone about them – get them out of your head so that you can let them go and relinquish ownership so they don’t have a hold over you.
5. Get dressed
6. Put on make up or fake tan
7. Do your hair
8. Set yourself a goal – a fitness goal, a household goal, a learning goal, a goal to write everyday, start a blog…
9. Be present – when carrying out each activity, focus, try not to think about the things that you read on the news, focus on the family you have and their presence.
10. Read books.
11. Play board games or video games – but not too many – set yourself a time in your schedule.
12. If you have children, share the load – set times for Mummy and time for Daddy so that you each get some me time.
13. Get fresh air – in the garden or go for a walk.
14. Take some time for yourself – have a bath, listen to a podcast or a talk on something other than Coronavirus, write down your thoughts, do yoga, meditate.

These are just some ideas that I hope you find useful and that you are able to use this time for the good.

Keep well and stay safe ❤️🌍🌸

#staysafe #keepwell #running #mumthatruns #positivevibes #anxiety #mentalhealth #letstalkaboutit #positivethinking