Improving your mental health in lockdown

Dilemma: Help! I’m 23 years old and struggling with this latest lockdown. I’m a full time university student in my final year. My dilemma is that I am finding it particularly tough as these current restrictions mean I haven’t been to my retail job or seen many of my friends. Please help me in finding ways to stay positive!

Hello! I would first of all like to say you are not alone with these thoughts. Your 20s are meant to be all about socialising, dating and having fun, but with it being almost a full year since the start of the UK lockdown due to the ongoing pandemic this has paused this for all 20 somethings.

There has been a increase in young women aged 20-24 reporting higher levels of anxiety, with their overall life satisfaction and happiness being lower as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic (Source: Office For National Statistics).

Reminder: It’s okay to not feel okay (these are tough times for everyone remember!)

Here are our top five tips for keeping sane in these challenging times:

1.     Taking breaks is productive

Whether it is at your job or uni work, taking a break is productive. Being overwhelmed and burnt out is real, especially whilst we are currently in lockdown. 

Taking regular breaks (whether it's five minutes, one hour or a full day) through daunting tasks helps to minimise the stress and sense of overwhelmingness.

 Focus on the small things as without them the bigger picture will fail. 

2.     Prioritise yourself

This is extremely important! The most important person is yourself! So take care of her. Have a pamper night, read a book and have a bath. 

Although this may feel unproductive at the time, it does wonders for your productivity in the long run as taking care of yourself is productive.

3.     Write down your worries (if you are not speaking it, you’re storing it)

Putting pen to paper to write down your worries help to de-stress and really puts your thoughts into perspective. Any notebook will do, it’s just about having a ‘brain dump’ of your thoughts onto paper, whether these thoughts are positive, negative or overwhelming, this step helps me de-stress as normally majority of these worries are out with my control. 

4.     Go for a walk (stomp)

Dr Alex George, an A&E doctor and ambassador for mental health for the UK government, suggests that every day for at least half an hour everyone should go outdoors for a walk, regardless of rain, sun or snow. He has coined the daily walk as going for a ‘stomp’, whether it’s a walk by yourself or with others the fresh air helps clear your head. 

5.     Social media is not everything

Social media is toxic. Having breaks from social media is a good thing, as we all know people portray their lives to be much better on social media than they are in reality. Although putting your phone down can be tricky as it is addictive, so why not flood your newsfeed with positive people instead? 
 

This Sunday an extra bonus blog post will be posted on our top five positive Instagram accounts. 
 
Join us on Instagram @20selfishandfree to countdown till Sunday with us.

Don’t forget to message us your dilemma on Instagram @20selfishandfree to be anonymously featured and join our growing community of gals to not miss a blog post. 
 
Pictures featured can be found on Pinterest @20selfishandfree
 
P.S. please don’t forget that better times are coming! 
 
Also, if you have any serious concerns regarding your mental health please do not hesitate to contact your GP. 

Below are some mental health charities contact details. 
 
Me and My Mind: https://www.meandmymind.nhs.uk
Young Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk
AnxietyUK: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk