When I am writing this, we had just scaled down to alert level two. The state of emergency has been lifted. We have slowly been easing back into our ‘normal’ life.
So, I did some self-reflection on my experience: There were days that I was very grateful and enjoyed staying in my bubble, but on a few days I also felt a bit down. I believe it was normal to feel that way, given the circumstances. It was a huge task to suspend our normal life for almost 7 weeks in order to stop the spread of the virus. History will recognise this as a major life event.
Now, hopefully, it is over. However, we may still experience emotional after-effects. You might feel lost, experience less joy, feel tired, have a lack of motivation, experience some confusion, feel worrisome, and so on. Each of us will experience it differently. Therefore, it is essential that we must insert added care in our wellbeing.
Here are a few well-being tips to support you and bring more ease into your life. You may pick the ones that appeal to you or just give them all a go. I recommend that you do all of these for at least one week.
1) Finding calm and joy: Mindful breathing.
Find a quiet place, free of distractions. Sit comfortably and just be for a few seconds. Then take a few deep breaths; inhale and exhale. Fill your lungs and tummy with beautiful air and exhale slowly. Then, gently find your normal breathing which usually is short and subtle. Relax into it. Turn your attention to your breathing. Notice the way your body effortlessly inhales and exhales. Stay with it for a few minutes. While practising, if your awareness wears off or you start planning your day, gently bring back your attention to your breathing.
2) Strengthening resilience: Expressive writing.
Find a time and place where you won’t be distracted. Get a pen and paper, and write down your feelings and thoughts. Don’t worry about the quality of your writing. Get it all out until you run out of words. If writing is not your thing, talk to someone you trust. I suggest doing it in the evening, to get better sleep.
3) Enhance inspiration: Awe walk.
Have a walk in nature. During your walk, look at things with fresh eyes. Imagine you are seeing everything for the first time. Take a deep breath: inhale and exhale. Pay attention to your feet, legs or your back. How do they feel today? How amazing that they carry us everyday! Shift your attention to your environment. Notice the small patterns of light and shadow, the trees: their branches and leaves. If you feel like it, go and hug or hongi a tree.
4) Increase happiness: Gratitude.
Everyday for a week, think about the things you are grateful for. The things that you may take for granted. The people you are grateful for but never expressed this. Count your blessings. Call the people that you feel gratitude for, and express your gratitude to them.
5) Increase happiness and resilience: Social connection.
Create windows of connection with friends, family and neighbours (following the current rules around distancing). I don’t know about you, but I’m over Zoom & Messenger! However, I must admit it would have been very difficult without these tools for many people. So, I’m actually grateful they exist. But now it’s time to connect face to face, without a screen between us.