Wellbeing essentials for a more mindful, less reactive lockdown- Tip#1...

It’s been an interesting week on the Iso front. Based in Melbourne, we are now in the middle of the first week of Lockdown 2.0, and whilst it is somewhat frustrating to have to isolate again, especially so soon after the restrictions were lifted, staying focused and positive is essential.

If the last few months of lockdown has taught us anything it’s that we will survive this. It is challenging of course, and everyone’s situation is different, but there will be an end to this madness, even if we are not exactly sure when that is. As we are faced with even more disruption to our lives and no option but to stay indoors and away from loved ones, let’s make a conscious choice to tackle this lockdown differently. Rather than panic or get angry – accept it and understand that we can and will be able to use this time wisely.

You are more resilient than you know. Whether you had to isolate alone and battle anxiety and loneliness, or had a house full of kids and were suddenly thrust into the role of school teacher (whilst doing your actual job remotely).Over the next six weeks I’m going to provide practical ‘Iso tips’ to help you navigate this lockdown more mindfully.

Now, the first time round the world seemed to explode with ‘isolation tips’ and everyone was an expert. So, if you happen to be reading this and rolling your eyes thinking “here we go again!”, let me call out the elephant in the room. I am not here to suggest you become enlightened, master a new skill, workout more, begin a yoga or meditation practice, and drink more water during this lockdown (albeit that last one is essential!). Instead, I want to offer a few practical and easy to implement tips that I learnt during lockdown 1.0 (that in hindsight I really wish I had known before the world was plunged into chaos).

Here is lockdown ‘Tip 1’:

1. Create healthy digital boundaries

I don’t know about you, but I have never used my mobile phone, laptop, and TV, as much in my life as I did during our previous Covid-19 lockdown. I am grateful for technology and how it makes people’s lives easier, enables us to work remotely, and stay connected with friends and family, but if we don’t limit the amount of time we use it, things can quickly get out of control.

Whether you binge-watch Netflix, live vicariously through people’s Instagram feeds, constantly video-call people, or struggle from burnout due to endless Zoom meetings whereby work and personal time blur into one – establishing healthy digital boundaries is essential to ensure you maintain balance between all of these activities.

· Use the ‘downtime’ feature and ‘app restrictions’ to set time limits on the apps you scroll aimlessly. Spending time on social media is fine, but hours a day will zap your motivation and productivity.

· Create a ‘work schedule’ and switch off your laptop and pack it away. Importantly, tell your family the times you will be working so that you can work meaningfully and with intention and hold yourself accountable. When work is done, you can ‘reset’ and enjoy alone time or family time without guilt or feeling like you’ve wasted your day.

· Limit the number of personal video-calls you have per week. Staying connected is essential for our wellbeing, however it is equally important to not become overwhelmed with too many conversations. Virtual pub quizzes, drinks, karaoke, and birthday celebrations are all fun activities that help us to ‘decompress’, but maintaining healthy digital boundaries is key.

Until next time

Stephen