The Little Blue Book

1. Set a routine: Humans, well, most of us, function best with routine. Routine puts us in sync with our circadian rhythm – the sleep and wake cycle in our 24-hour internal clock. So, set a routine (a beginning, a middle and an end to the day) and balance it between work, down-time, self-time and social-time (on the phone, Facebook or other media). 2. Attend to your relationships: It’s in relationships and connection that we find happiness and contentment. So, feed your friendships – check on your friends, call them, ask about “them”, and talk about “you”. And, if you’re in lockdown with your family, keep talking, keep asking, keep understanding, keep loving and keep connected. 3. Plan for some fun in your day: When working from home, you can easily get ‘out of sync’ with others sharing the household – like partners and children. So, find a small part to the day where your time aligns with theirs, and have some fun together – do a jigsaw puzzle, make a dumb video, do a bit of gardening, even just go for a jog together (anything that creates a positive interruption). 4. Spend time outside: Whenworking fromhome, or in ‘lockdown’, go outside regularly. Besides giving us a break from what we’re doing, spending time in the fresh air and in ‘green space’ feeds that deep-down part of our psyche that has never quite left the steppes of Africa. It has a double benefit, getting a bit of sun will give an important top-up to your vitamin D (which aids calcium absorption – important for bone growth – and immune function). 5. Spend time with your thoughts, breathe: Give yourself some ‘quiet time’ to clear the mind, to focus on breathing and to slow the heart (while slowing the seconds with it). Meditation or mindfulness, being still, letting the mind follow each breath, and shaking yourself free of intrusive thoughts is great for our mental health. You can do it in a chair, on the mat or on the balcony. Exercises in mindfulness can ‘quieten’ our emotional responses, de-clutter thinking and leave us refreshed, calm, de-stressed and more resilient. 6. Take up a project. Make the most of the extra hours in your week (not having to travel to work) to do “that thing” that you have always wanted to do. Maybe it’s some woodworking, maybe it’s to strip down an old Norton Commando, maybe it’s to learn a language. Or maybe it’s something you can get the whole family engaged in. Give it some thought. Perhaps even enrol in some professional training. Whatever you choose will give you a positive focus and sense of reward (which will help you feel better about yourself). It may also lower levels of frustration in the household all round. 7. Do some exercise. The mantra of “use it, or lose it” is well- founded; exercise, and the release of ‘pleasure’ endorphins in the brain that goes with it, is bound into a range of physical and mental health benefits – cardiovascular health, improved bone density, muscle strength, weight control, and improved feelings of wellbeing and self-esteem. ‘MOTHBALLED’ AT HOME A 12-POINT PLAN FOR COPING COVID-19: The Challenge 44