If you are anything like me, then your energy levels and morale will be very up and down at the moment. There are some days which I’m flying and other days where even the most minuscule tasks seem like an effort. We are in week five of our eight-piece series on how to feel better during this lockdown.
My name’s Zach Berwick, and after ten years working in the health and fitness industry to help people improve their wellbeing, I wrote this book to put down on paper what I’ve learned to share with others. In this article, I will speak about how we can improve our mood and feel better during our days.
The best way to think about how you are feeling at the moment is that you are ‘human’. It is totally acceptable to have off days, especially in the middle of a pandemic. As the days get longer, the weather improves, and we move closer to coming out of lockdown, it is important to do the right things to make ourselves feel better, so we can go about our days as normal as possible.
Staying at home may be limiting, but it doesn’t need to be boring. From learning a language to organising your wardrobe, updating your CV to writing a novel, there is plenty of fun and productive things you can take to pass the time. Why not start right now? When you become the right person, you understand that you have the power to make yourself happy, and no-one else.
Don’t rely on a specific date, a new job or waiting for another person to make you feel great. Rely on what you feed your mind to boost your morale so that you wake up feeling optimistic and ready to attack the day.
Focus on progression
The key to happiness is progression. When you feel as though you are progressing in an area of your life, you will feel excited about how your life will look when you finally get there. We all have these feelings at one point or another. Take exercise, for example. The moment you start to feel excited about the changes you’re making to your physical health, you have already improved your state of mind. This can be said with pretty much anything at the moment. It doesn’t have to be exercise; it can be a home project such as decorating or learning a new skill. As long as you’re progressing in an area, you will find happiness in what you do.
Fuel your body properly
Focusing on eating a balanced diet can increase your energy levels. Eating bad foods can make you feel lethargic and will not fuel your body. While most of us are working from home, we are burning fewer calories in the day because we are not moving around as much as we usually do. Getting a consistently balanced and nutritious diet will help with productivity, improve your body, and boost your morale.
Try listening to music
Are you listening to enough music? I listen to music when I’m exercising, working, in the car and when I’m cooking. I couldn’t live without it, and when I’m feeling low, a song can pick me back up. It helps with productivity as silence sometimes can make me feel demotivated. Start listening to your favourite artists and even some you haven’t heard in years. Let the great memories flood back in and make you feel better. You live in a world where you have so many choices about how to live your life. You can paint a picture, meditate, listen to your favourite song, or go for a long walk. These are things in your control, even when we live in a world where we are restricted.
Keep connected with loved ones
We live in a modern world of technology. Think back to the times when communication was poor, and imagine if you were in a lockdown when you couldn’t freely communicate with your friends and family. We can boost our morale by connecting with our friends and family, even if it is virtual. Start your day by ringing a family member every morning, even if you don’t usually. You will understand that you are not alone in the way you feel. You will feel connected, and that will keep you optimistic throughout the day. You will also get to know people on a deeper level, helping them on their lockdown journeys.
Sit down with a book
Reading can help your mind enter a new world, and you can get lost in a great novel. There are endless benefits to reading, whether you’re reading a self-improvement book or a crime novel. Reading will help you improve your vocabulary, teach you something new, or help you relax. Set yourself a goal to read a new book every two weeks. You will soon get hooked and wonder why you never found an interest in reading before.
The more you seek the things you enjoy in life, the happier you will be. So before you commit to something, make sure it will make you happy. Just because every day feels the same at the moment doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and make your days more exciting. Plan something to look forward to every night of the week, like cooking a new dish whilst listening to music. You will feel empowered and will start to have things to be excited about. You can also begin to plan things with your friends and family as we are nearing the end of lockdown. Why not start to look for something to do with them when the restrictions lift and start filling up your diary.