As for many of us, the lockdown has been challenging, especially for those who are on furlough leave like myself and miss doing their job. It is a worrying time for everyone and at the beginning of lockdown, I felt extremely anxious and worried every day that it started to affect my mental health.

In this article, I wanted to talk about ways that I have overcome some anxiety and how I have kept sane during lockdown. 

Where is your energy going?

At times like these, there isn’t an awful lot that we can control and most of our energy is consumed worrying when we should be focusing on what we can change. 

I made a sheet to help me on days where I feel overwhelmed. I write down my worries and then put them in the correct place on the circle. It then gives me a clearer picture of what I can and cannot control. Surprisingly, this really helps me to see things from a different perspective and allows me to focus more on ‘the circle of influence’ meaning things that I can change and have control over. 

What has helped me keep sane 

Games 

I know that not everyone enjoys games and I wouldn’t say that I am a regular gamer, however I have recently bought a Nintendo Switch with the game Animal Crossing. Since playing the game, I have felt relaxed and a lot of my worries have been pushed aside as I have been focusing on this instead. Animal Crossing was a game I had growing up as a child on other gaming consoles and it brought back nostalgic moments for me and made me feel comfortable. I really recommend losing yourself in a game and taking your mind off worrying matters. 

 Activity books 

During lockdown I decided to purchase an activity book which was actually in the sale. I honestly wasn’t expecting for the book to help me as much as it has (It’s called Mrs Hinch Activity Book)!. The book contains cleaning lists (I am a list person, so this ticked the boxes for me, literally!), puzzles, crosswords, colouring pages, dot-to-dot and spaces to write positive things and practice gratitude. 

Colouring has also been a helper for me as I don’t realise how long I have been doing it for, so the time passes, and I almost forget what I was worried about in the first place! 

Baking 

 Before lockdown, baking for me was a form of punishment. I am not the best baker in the world and never really enjoyed doing it, I make a mess and often burn everything. With that being said, I have had chance to practice and enhance my skills and I have surprised myself! I have made shortbread, gingerbread, cupcakes and my absolute favourite is a white chocolate and raspberry loaf cake! It’s also been really fun to eat everything too! 

Making a comfy area 

When feeling anxious, I have made a little area in the house where I can feel really comfortable. For me this comfortable area includes; cushions, blankets, candle wax melter on, a podcast or my favourite music playing and dimmed lighting. It is amazing how making a little area for yourself can make you feel so much better. I like to sit and read or journal in this area and it makes me feel less anxious. 

I really hope you liked some of my “ways to keep sane” activities, maybe you can have a go at finding the things that relax you and incorporating them into your daily schedule. 

Stay safe!