Lockdown 3.0! Definitely another reason to focus on you right now and although we’ve been here before, it doesn’t make it any easier on our mental health BUT even if one of these points we’ve shared, on how we stay positive and creative during lockdown, helps you, then our work here is done!
I’m sure you often hear the word ‘positivity’ thrown around and we’re big advocates for that feeling because it is so important to stay positive for your mind, body and soul. We thoroughly believe good energy breeds good energy and a little bit of positivity can make a big difference on your day, week, month!
I find within five minutes of waking up in the morning we all know what sort of day is ahead of us and with this we find that waking up right goes a long way. Waking up with purpose is how we like to get through the day with positive vibes. Personally, I’ve found that waking up and writing 5 bullet points for what I am currently grateful for really pushed me to start the day thinking not all things are bad, alternative Lucy is a big fan of writing down her daily goals.
From talking with our wider friends and family on video chats, in our PJs at 14:00pm with bad camera angles and often emotional offloads, we’ve decided that daily routines have been core to helping us! Whilst ‘creative’ probably doesn’t come to mind when you think of the word ‘routine’ we actually feel having a daily routine or a schedule has been amazing for staying positive and getting creative, especially during those prolonged furlough periods. We’ve found it’s really important to have goals for our day that push us- but definitely not to overdo it, we’re not saying learn Latin before March, but we are saying don’t just stop at ten minutes of reading your new book a day. We like to set ourselves good goals; to read a book a week, complete the ‘Couch to 5K’, bake the perfect banana bread, finally finish that drawing you started forever ago! We feel that setting achievable goals that still challenged us, made us feel good and got us in a creative zone – have you seen how many people have taken up painting during lockdown, it’s amazing!
Here are a few ideas that we love and kept us feeling positive!
- Exercise – Morgan’s more of a hit work out kind of girl, whereas Lucy’s more into yoga and daily walks!
- DIY –Lucy got obsessed with knitting, whilst Morgan became pretty expert at redecorating
- Starting hobbies – both of us found there were countless hobbies we had both wanted to do but ‘time got away from us’ pre-Lockdown, so we’re really pretty damn fulfilled right now
- Gardening – whether it’s keeping your mint plant alive or growing an indoor forest, most people we know have dabbled in the world of green thumbs
- Rest – it goes without saying that treating yourself to a lay in, or seven, can make a world of difference!
Now, I agree it’s easier to feel a little more positive when you’re doing things you enjoy without the stress of work, so let’s not forget how we can feel more positive with work.
As we’re working from home like many of you are, we’re often asked, ‘How do you find working from home?’ and we’ve both agreed that it’s the new normal and going into the office would feel like the anomaly.
Our best advice when it comes to WFH would be to create your own personal creative bubble – whether that’s desk plants, organised shelves, inspirational quotes from Albert Einstein or having classical music in the background, right now your house is your work, social space and down time zone! Some people have even said that different smells create different environments mentally – We’re yet to give this a go however I’m sure Lucy would love this one! – FYI I totally would!
We’ve found creating two separate environments helps you focus during work, to get the best out of yourself creatively and also to be able to switch off at the end of the day! You don’t want to get to 10:00pm and realise your still sitting on the sofa, working – unless of course 10:00pm is your ‘Power Hour’ as we like to call it.
Of course, during the working day, don’t forget to take breaks!! They can refresh the mind, replenishes your mental resources, and help you become more creative. … Other evidence suggests that taking regular breaks raises workers’ level of engagement which, in turn, is highly correlated with productivity.
Now moving on to our favourite thing – food! Huge, huge correlation with moods! Hopefully you’ve all spent the festive holidays overindulging – I have, I’m more chocolate than human right now, and hopefully that made you feel great! So how do we continue the great feeling food gives us, post festive season when we’re in those holiday blues, facing Lockdown 3.0?
We’re both big advocates for eating fresh and whilst we can’t necessarily agree whether it should be a cauliflower steak or a beef steak – hasn’t Lucy told you? she’s a vegan! We do agree you can get a lot of joy from good food. Ultimately, food is our fuel, and if we want to feel fresh and positive, we need to eat fresh, colourful, enriching foods. As much as a salad might not really get you going, swapping out that doughnut for a bowl of strawberries and blueberries, will give you more energy and likely make you feel a lot fresher! Thinking about whether you really want to drink an energy drink, or maybe a vibrant smoothie to get your body feeling happy. We definitely aren’t saying don’t treat yourself to a post lunch choccy – because honestly chocolate feeds the soul so it can’t go – but do think about what you’re putting in your body and how that will affect your day! Our Director isn’t just a big fan of eating the rainbow, but also when you’re eating – as much as a routine is good for your productivity, a food routine is good for your energy, digestion and how you feel – having a bacon sandwich at 11:00am when you’ve been working since 8:00am and haven’t eaten the previous day isn’t going to get your creative juices flowing!!
We’ve also found we’re cooking more than ever, being creative in the kitchen and this should not slow down. Making your meals from scratch gives you a break away from technology but also shows you exactly what’s going into your body. This is a great opportunity to learn a new skill and find healthier alternatives to what you love. Don’t forget healthier doesn’t always mean more expensive. Shop smarter not harder.
Last but very much not least, if you don’t feel like doing anything that is ABSOLUTELY fine. Guilt free Netflix binging is what we’re alllll about! It’s okay to re-watch the whole of Gossip Girl with an endless stream of Ice cream – embrace it, get yourself wrapped up on that sofa and love yourself! We all need to wind down too, it can restore our mental capacity so we can be more creative moving forward, plus we don’t know about you, but we feel like we’ve done a good day grafting when Netflix says, ‘are you still watching?’.
Stay positive, stay healthy, get creative and don’t forget to stay connected during these next few months! 😊