Finding Happiness During Hard Times: seeking out calm during coronavirus lock down
I’ve learnt a lot about myself and my family during these strange times we are living in. Forced to spend every minute of the day together has been both a challenge and a blessing. We had plans to travel for three months round the NORDICS this summer in caravan and our biggest worry when planning was how we would cope living in such close proximity to each other for so long. Well we might not be travelling (any time soon) but we are experiencing that on “top of each other” living and it’s strangely OK. That’s not to say we aren’t getting at each other and feeling exhausted from the lack of space, because we are, but we are also finding a new way of life and ebb and flow of the days and finding that for the majority of the time we are enjoying it.
How I’m Staying Sane During Lockdown
I’ve found increasingly that I have to carve out time for myself during lockdown. Something I wasn’t that good at doing before but that has become so important to my wellbeing and sanity. As an introvert, time alone is where I draw my energy from. Building up the reserves I need to be present and giving to my family. And that alone time has practically disappeared since the boys have joined me at home. During the first few weeks, whilst I was in survival mode, I gave my all to the boys. I needed to know they felt safe and were happy but this burnt me out. By the third weekend I was outside in my greenhouse sobbing and begging my husband to take the boys away for a few hours. I had forgot to prioritise myself over the needs of my family and in doing so had got myself in a situation where I couldn’t be there for them. Since then I’ve been making a real effort to carve out that time for myself to maintain a level of much needed mental well-being and emotional strength. Here’s what I’ve found helpful during this time:
Savouring The Mornings
“There is an energy in the earlier hours, an awareness I enjoy. In today’s world we tend to wake as late as we can, timed to when we have to work. But we don’t need to chase the day.” Allan Jenkin
I have been taking full advantage of the brighter mornings recently. Setting my Lumie light to wake me gently pre 6am (when I can) has meant that I often get an hour or so by myself each morning. To have that time on my own is invaluable and sets me up just perfectly. How I spend it depends on what I have going on that week, at times it has been spent sitting outside with a cup of tea listening to the dawn chorus and watching the world wake up around me. At other times I have played with flowers and made wreaths for orders or even practiced yoga. And whilst I do find I get tired in the afternoon, its a small price to pay for feeling so alive first thing. If you think this could be for you then I highly recommend the book “morning: how to make time” by Allan Jenkins, reading it was just the push I needed to start waking up before the crowds.
Seeding & the garden
The garden has always been my safe space and the greenhouse my hiding place but during the past few months this has become even more so. I have sown everything and more, my germination rates have been through the roof and not a seedling has been lost (unlike previous years where I would often forget to water or the slugs would get in). This comes with challenges given my small garden but I intend to share the love amongst family and friends so nothing will be wasted. The joy that the greenshoots bursting through the soil has bought me is immeasurable. And the time spent has home has meant that I am seeing on a daily sometimes hourly basis the speed with which things grow. Its staggering and fills me with so much hope for the future! Read all about what I’ve been sowing here.
Yoga and Moving my Body
I’ve been practicing yoga for a couple of years now but not religiously and since going freelance I have struggled to afford the classes at my local yoga studio. But with everything being forced to move online, it has never been easier to practice at home and I am loving it. My wonderful friend Jo who was an assistant on my book shoot has a nurturing session on a Thursday evening at 8.15pm (allowing time for the clap for the NHS) that I never miss and leaves me with the best nights sleep of the week. I highly recommend and she is vey generously giving free access to key workers.
Colouring pages
A few weeks into lockdown I came across a beautiful set of colouring pages that can be printed at home for ease. Compiled by Jehane, the pages are a collection of illustrations from the artists Jehane works with with profits going to support Age UK. I have spent many hours with the boys colouring in these stunning designs, they have provided me with the perfect opportunity to be creative and calm with Henry and Arlo at a time when they are also struggling with lockdown.
Photography and Flowers
Isn’t spring wonderful? I say that but I’ll be honest with you I’ve never been a massive fan of Spring, despite my birthday being slap bang in the middle of it and Easter and all the eggs playing such an important role. I think I find the speed with which flowers grow and bloom too much for my brain to handle, in the past I have felt like I can’t keep up with everything. But this year it’s been different. I’ve had the time to enjoy each flowers season, from bluebells to tulips and forget me knots to lily of the valley, I have loved them all. And photographing them has been something I can do in snippets of time throughout the day, discovering new corners of light in my house and shifting vases and petals around to capture through a lens. I have loved the daily photography practice, again something I always wanted to do before lock down and never had the time.
It’s through these small moments in time, carved out of the days and nights that roll into one I have managed to keep some semblance of normality to my life. Recognising what my go to’s are when it comes to staying well both mentally and physically has been so important, I wanted to share these with you and would love to know what yours are.
Stay safe and well my friends