On Thursday 5th November 2020 the UK enters lockdown once again. I won’t lie, I found the first lockdown tough, as did a lot of people. So this time round I thought I’d prepare a mental health lockdown plan.
Here’s my plan:
I will watch some comedy at least once a week. Laughter is a good way to lessen the hardship.
I will exercise outside at least once a week. I’m setting my goal for just once a week as I’ll be working through lockdown and I don’t like going out in the dark.
I will burn scented candles, oils or incense at least two evenings per week.
I will meditate at least two evenings per week.
I will have a bath at least two evenings per week. Baths are much more relaxing than the usual shower.
I will listen to upbeat music once per week.
I will clean the house at least once per week.
I will avoid shopping online as much as possible.
I will call a friend at least twice per week,
I will call a family member at least once per week.
I will start work on a new creative project.
How are you planning for lockdown 2.0. Let me know by leaving a comment below.
How endless does this lockdown feel? It feels like it has gone on forever. It feels like the rules of lockdown have permeated every aspect of our lives. In some cases the rules feel like they have taken our old lives hostage. No longer can we take anything for granted. Not even the simplest of things like exchanging a hug with a loved one.
With experts are expecting a 2nd wave, it looks like the relaxation of lockdown maybe reversed. Possibly made even stricter.
With all this going on, it’s not surprising that for some, this has had a tole on their mental health. So I would like to remind you that you can purchase my book Mental Health Wisdom from Amazon for just £7.49 paperback (or £1.99 Kindle) here. It’s full of strategies to help people to deal with adversity and improve their mental health.
Now let’s talk about me. It been a bit of a difficult time. First there was an international shortage of Depakote, one of the medications I take. So I had to switch to Epilim, basically the same thing but a different brand. However nobody at the Pharmacy or GP knew there was a shortage of Depakote, so it took nearly two weeks without any Depakote to get the Epilim prescribed and started. This led to manic and mixed moods.
But before this and underlying I had been struggling with depressive symptoms, that even the maximum dose of Venlafaxine wasn’t helping with. So my Consultant Psychiatrist has taken me off Quetiapine and started me on Mirtazapine.
I’ve never had this mix of medications before, so it is uncharted territory. We just have to keep trying until we get the right balance in my brain. Even though I know this, it is sometimes frustrating.
In other news my iMac (photo below) has died and gone to Apple heaven.
My iMac finally died.
It had been really slow for a while and since getting a laptop I haven’t used it that much; but it is still disappointing.
This week I’m off on annual leave. I’ve taken a few days to rest and recharge. Next I’ve got a few days seeing family and friends – social distancing. Then at the end of the week Steve and I are going to South Lakes Safari Zoo.
I’ll be sure to do a blog post about my visit to the Zoo. Blog soon,
When I’m not at work it feels like I am killing time. Killing time until I am released, free from house arrest. Normally I’d be keeping myself happily amused with: reading, writing and candle making.
I even relieved some massive jars for the latter activity today:
A medium-sized jar (left) and a MASSIVE jar (right).
But I just can’t seem to motivate myself to be creative. I can’t even motivate myself to entertain myself. I just want to sleep.
Maybe it’s because the weather is good and I usually see people and do things when the weather’s good. I wonder if I’d lack motivation if it were the middle of winter?
Who knows. I’m working all over the long Bank Holiday, so at least boredom won’t set in.
