The Silver Lining of Covid-19

No make up - one of my favourite bits of lockdown!

Information is the issue I see affecting our mindsets right now.

Mainly a lack of it.

That is what is often so triggering. The not knowing what is happening in the next few weeks or months.

I am a supremely anxious person. I like having a vague plan of where things are going and what will be happening so I can mentally prepare for it. This not knowing and not being able to research my way through information to figure out a plan on my own makes me feel so out of control.

The first few days of things slowing and entering into lockdown were a mess. I felt claustrophobic, like I lived in a box ant the panic started.

• Was I going to be able to get food and toilet roll? (I didn’t panic buy)

• Was my other half going to have to go away to work through this and I’d be alone?

• Would I be able to leave the house on my own?

• At the end of this would all the hard work I have put into my mindset and staying out of the dangerously anxious and depressed state I had been in be wasted?

• What was going to happen to family members, especially those living abroad?

• Would I see them again?

It is OK to be sad through this time

My brain is a fun place.

Then I realised that for most of these things I was never going to be able to answer or stop any negatives from happening. The engineer in me hates this. A lot.

I didn’t come to this conclusion alone. There were many phone calls and texts and emails trying to remind me that deep down I did know this and needed to accept it. Many a tear was shed and naps had during this period.

For now, I can only work on what I can do and that is to use this time in the best way possible. That includes spending time to do absolutely NOTHING. Something I have needed to do for a while.

When I felt up to being productive again I took baby steps.

I began by really analysing what information I consumed.

• Do I need to be consuming it?

• Is the information trustworthy?

• Am I learning anything from this?

• Is it improving my mindset?

If it the answer was no, I muted or removed it. News started being limited to once a day. I turned my phone on silent. I asked friends to stop sending me certain types of info as I just could not process it anymore.

I started trying to focus on the positives and all the things I have wanted to do but been unable to because of my hectic life.

Banana and Egg White Pancakes!!

• I could get a regular sleep pattern going. Fall asleep and wake up at regular times with the right amount of sleep.

• I could fit exercise into my day, even just a light walk.

• I can meditate often.

• I can have a slow start to my morning and it not come with any consequences.

• I can focus on providing more for you all through Engineer Your Mind.

• I can make time to have long calls with people regularly.

• I have time to read.

• I can catch up on films.

• I can start yoga without having to try an find a studio I can get to easily after work and still get home at a reasonable time.

• I have time to regularly practice positive mindset techniques.

• I have time to cook healthy meals

In summary, I have time to create good habits. I have craved this for so long.

The results?

I feel rested, my body feels better and my mindset is more consistent that it has been in a while. I still worry a lot about what will happen at the end of all this, how I will transition out.

Luckily, I have lots of time to consider it and figure out a plan for me.

One of our walks (this is next to our home)