Loving Your Life On Lockdown: Pushing Through The Negatives To Get To The Positives

Loving Your Life On Lockdown: Pushing Through The Negatives To Get To The Positives

Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you’re reading this (and it’s still the spring of 2020) you’re probably getting decidedly sick of the coronavirus lockdown. Despite your daily efforts to remain positive and optimistic, you can’t help but bemoan all the places where you can no longer go and all the people you can no longer see. And the recent announcement that there are no plans to ease the lockdown any time soon probably haven’t helped matters much.

Of course, things could be a lot worse. You still (I sincerely hope) have your health and you’ve managed to prevent those closest to you from coming into contact with the coronavirus itself. Nonetheless, while you wish that this were comfort enough… it’s hard to feel gratitude right now. Perhaps you’re starting to get cabin fever. The home you used to love has started to feel like a prison, and the family you adore are really starting to get under your skin as the effects of cabin fever begin to rear their ugly heads.

Still, a sunnier outlook isn’t going to descend on you from out of nowhere like a ray of sunshine punching its way through a gloomy raincloud. It’s up to you to be proactive and push through the negatives to find the positives. And there are always positives! Here are some ways in which you can take control of your quality of life, and love your life on lockdown…

Start Loving Your Life On Lockdown

Revitalise your home

It’s exceptionally difficult to keep the home clean, tidy and sanitary while the whole family is sharing it for virtually 24 hours a day while under lockdown (23 if you manage to get out on a daily family walk!). Your home is supposed to be your sanctuary — a fortress that guards you against the world and all its ills. But recently it’s become just one more thing to get stressed and annoyed about.

Perhaps the answer lies in going beyond cleaning and tidying. Maybe you need to revitalise your home by adding a splash of the new. It’s time to carry out some renovations around the house and do all those DIY projects you’ve been putting off since the end of last year. At the very least, try rearranging the furniture and taking steps to improve the flow in your home. You may be surprised at just how much more spacious you can make it look and feel.

Now might also be a good time to do away with clutter and identify which objects bring value to your home’s aesthetic and which just add visual noise. Clutter can have a surprisingly profound impact on our mental health. When we clear it away and adopt a more minimalist aesthetic, it can make the home much more restful while drawing attention to the carefully chosen items that are left on display. This is a great way to start loving your life on lockdown with a clear slate.

Plan for the future as a family

Never underestimate the power of anticipation. Especially when the current state of affairs is pushing us into a sadly monotonous and tedious lifestyle. Having something to look forward to can be a real tonic for your mental health, as well as bringing you and your loved ones closer as you anticipate a shared goal together.

For instance, you might want to think about moving to a new home when all this is over, so now’s the perfect time to start looking at properties, thinking about ways in which you could redecorate or looking for a reliable professional removals company in your area. Of course, you don’t necessarily have to anticipate something this drastic. You might want to start planning your next holiday together, looking into the pros and cons of multiple destinations, resorts and hotels.

Even talking about which restaurants you’re going to visit or which friends you’re going to invite over can remind the family that life will go on after the lockdown has lifted.

This is also a good time to look over your finances. Read more about looking after your finances during lockdown here.

Appreciate the importance of alone time

It would be a fallacy to suggest that families should relish every moment they spend together. Even if your kids are the apple of your eye and your partner is unequivocally the love of your life… you can still get up each other’s noses when you spend every waking hour together. It’s simply human nature.

As such, everyone in the household needs to appreciate the importance of alone time and respect one another’s boundaries. There should always be an empty space to which you can retreat such as the spare room or the garden when it all feels like it’s getting a but too much. Ideally, this should be a neutrally decorated space with lots of plants where electronic devices are either limited or left at the door.

Make sure you always have something to look forward to

As well as planning major events together as a family, you should also ensure that you as an individual always have something to look forward to every day. Even if it’s something as quotidian as a long hot bath, a bar of chocolate or an hour alone with a big mug of coffee and your nose stuck in a good book. Every day is an ordeal under the current circumstances, and every ordeal is much more surmountable when you have a reward to look forward to at the end of it.

Yes, we should all be eating healthily and exercising regularly… but never underestimate the healing power of a carefully timed delicious treat!

Set yourself challenges

We’re at our best when challenged. But it’s much more enjoyable when challenges are small and achievable. So try and set yourself lots of little challenges to keep yourself busy and ensure that you end every day with a feeling of accomplishment. At the same time, however, ensure that challenging yourself doesn’t become a rod for your back. We’re all grappling with our productivity in this challenging time. Don’t fall into the trap of setting yourself overly ambitious targets and beating yourself up about it when you struggle to achieve them.

With a little inspiration, imagination and determination, you might just find yourself loving your life on lockdown.

Contributed Article.