Unlock the Lockdown Languish

These are uncertain times and it’s beginning to take a toll. Working from home, lost your job,  lonely, getting anxious, cut off from friends and family, gaining weight…

People are starting to struggle.

Never has there been a more important time to look after ‘self’’.

I believe it’s easier than you think to feel better. Inspired by the many conversations I have had with people struggling I have written this article to share simple ways to reduce worry, feel better and stay physically and mentally strong – to get through the lockdown clear headed and covid kilo free.

The basics

The simplest and easiest way to feel better is through your breathing.

• Deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for ‘rest and digest’ part of the autonomic nervous system – it relaxes you.
• Short, shallow upper chest breathing does the opposite. It exacerbates the fight or flight response. It’s this type of breathing you will find yourself doing when you are stressed or anxious.

Change your breathing and you change how you feel.

First become more conscious of how you breath. Is it slow, deep and rhythmical or short and rapid?

Start to change how you breathe:

• You must breathe deeper into the abdomen and use your diaphragm.
• Breathe through the nose, this oxygenates your blood 20% more efficiently than mouth breathing as it warms, moistens and filters the air before hitting the lungs.
• Introduce a short pause between breathes as opposed to breathing in and breathing out with no distinct pause between the two.

The perfect breath is: Deep, slow, into the abdomen, through the nose with a gentle pause between cycles.

Did you know the optimal breathing rate is only about 6 breathes per minute, what is yours?

Relax in less than 5 minutes

Here is an ancient eastern breathing technique that has been around for thousands of years and made more popular as it’s been adopted by elite NAVY Seal soldiers who are taught to use it to stay calm and focussed in high pressure stressful situations.

It’s called Box breathing.

Here’s how to do it:

• Take a slow, deep breathe in for a count of 4
• Hold that breathe for a count of 4
• Slowly exhale for a count of 4
• Pause for a count of 4 before the next inhale.

Repeat this for 2-3 minutes or 5-10 cycles depending on how stressed or anxious you feel, I guarantee you will feel calmer, more relaxed, less anxious and less stressed.

Move

It’s a founding principle of my philosophy:

‘You always feel better for a workout’

 In a study involving 150,000 people in the UK conducted by the Division of Psychiatry at University College London published in 2010, it concluded people with low fitness were far more likely to experience depression and anxiety. Conversely, it was also concluded that by improving physical fitness the risk of a mental health condition can be reduced by 32.5%.

Right now, you must be prioritising exercise. It’s the best thing you can do to feel better.

I believe it’s best to do it in the morning as it sets you up for a more positive day where you will also be more motivated to follow through with other healthy habits like eating well and not drinking alcohol and get a better night’s sleep.

Here are some exercise options:

• Get out to the park for a brisk walk or jog.
• Follow a Timo Topp home exercise program.
• Organise a walk or workout with a friend.
• Join an online fitness class.
• Book an inspiring PT session with Sydney’s Topp trainer.
• Do a short sharp workout such as skipping.

And remember…

Something is always better than nothing and you always feel better for it.

Working from Home

One of the biggest challenges it not moving enough. The lowest record for steps in one day from a client was ‘59’! Yes, you need to prioritise exercise and go out for a walk but you absolutely must:

GET UP FROM YOUR CHAIR EVERY 60 MINUTES

According to NASA Life Scientist Joan Vernikos in her book ‘SITTING KILLS, MOVEMENT HEALS’ the simple act of standing – breaking the cycle of inactivity – is equivalent in benefit to standing for 30 minutes.

Standing regularly reactivates your biology, neurology and physiology. It’s like turning your car engine after it fires all the systems up, reduces blood sugars and fats and helps dissipate stress.

It’s one of the simplest and easiest things you can do to manage your health through lockdown.

Vernikos states, simple, small incremental movements like:

• Standing
• Changing posture
• Stretching

add up to keeping you healthy and reduce stress.

Every 60-90 minutes, stand up, stretch up, twist your torso and take a few deep breathes

Eat well

Taking too many trips to the fridge? In the lockdown it’s easy to overindulge and emotionally eat.

A study was conducted in Australia called the SMILES study in 2015 that proved the relationship between eating well and mental health. Those who improved their diet the most experienced the greatest benefit to their depression, up to a thirty percent reduction in major depression.

The best way to do this is have the right food in your fridge and cupboard and try to prepare meals in advance so you know what you are eating and when. If you don’t have the right food and you don’t have a plan you are going to snack on rubbish food and order in.

Eating well right now is not just about preventing covid kilos, it’s about helping to support better mental health. So, go easy on the crisps, uber eats and malteasers and of course alcohol. Enjoy the occasional drink and treat, try not to use it to self-medicate.

Stay connected

Right now, many of us are missing family and friends and feeling cut off. Many people are living alone. It’s hard. We must band together as best as we can to help, support and connect with our networks of friends and families. Send a text to ask someone how they are going, give them a call, organise a video catch up. Community and connection is key through lockdown.

Do something nice for someone else to brighten up their day.

Do something different

With little to do, we should think creatively and try to find new experiences within our radius or online.

Here are actual activities my clients are currently doing:

• Online chess lessons
• Go for walks in different places within the 5km radius
• Keep it light, have a laugh watch comedy (I love Seinfeld!)
• Online courses and upskill
• Online French conversation classes
• Sort your clothes and cupboards
• Cook food for local friends and drop it off
• Art, painting, clay and croque
• Puzzles
• Taxidermy! (yes really!)

Personally, I am using the time to write my next book! It’s called WORBEING – the art of being healthy, happy at work – simple things busy people can do to stay healthy with a hectic schedule and not burnout!  

And I always enjoy reading too.

Get to bed on time

Getting sufficient sleep is not just about not refreshed the next day, it is during sleep that your brain restores and rejuvenates itself. Sufficient sleep, especially REM sleep, facilitates the brain’s processing of information and emotions. During sleep, the brain works to evaluate and remember thoughts and memories, lack of sleep is especially harmful to the consolidation of positive emotional content. This can influence mood and emotional reactivity and is tied to mental health. So, if you want to feel better, emotionally strong and energised, take steps to get sufficient sleep:

• Develop a sleep routine and get to bed on time every night.
• Take steps to wind down towards the end of the evening by switching off from work, phones and computers, dim the lights at least one hour before bed.
• Write down things in your head – emotions and things to do – before you go to sleep.
• Do some deep breathing to relax and to add to it gratitude for what went well today.

If you can’t sleep or wake up at night get up from your bed, don’t lay there tossing and turning, get up, go to another room and do the Box breathing exercise.

And finally, be thankful

In stressful times we can become obsessed with negative thoughts and uncertainty. Practising Gratitude is a very simple and effective way to change your focus and enhance a mental positive outlook and it’s proven by science to work. There are two times to spend a moment thinking about the positives in your life:

• In the morning to set yourself up for a more positive day.
• When you are going to bed to think about what went well that day.

You can keep a gratitude journal. Personally, I prefer to simply think about it in my head as I start my day and when I got to sleep at night.

What are three things you can be grateful for right now?

Summary

By prioritising your ‘self’ through a few simple actions you can feel so much better:

• Taking a few, slow, deep breathes to reduce stress and feel calmer
• Move your body more, prioritise exercise, you always feel better for it
• Working from home, get up from your chair regularly and stretch
• Practise gratitude and focus on what’s good in your life
• Connect with friends and family regularly
• Do something different
• Get to bed on time

• Try not to over indulge on drinks and treats. Your waistline will thank you for it!

The more of these you action the better you will feel and the easier it will be to get through.

One day at a time friends and be kind to yourself and others.

Thank you for reading.

Reach our for home exercise programs and other articles on How to sleep well, how to get started with exercise, how to stress less and how to eat well.

Please share this article with family, friends and work colleagues to help others as feel better. People you know might be struggling more than they care to admit.