It’s happening. After months of varying degrees of freedom, the UK is re-entering a national lockdown from today until 2 December. And while first time round we had the promise of summer ahead, Lockdown 2 will plummet us into the depths of the dark, cold British winter, which will undoubtedly add a new layer of gloom to the situation.
But it’s not all bad: we’re armed with knowledge this time round. We’ve been there, done that, made the banana bread. We know what’s coming – to some degree – and we can prepare for the challenges. So, below we present the C&TH lockdown survival guide, filled with expert tips on how to stay as happy, healthy and positive as possible during the next four weeks.
Staying positive
It’s tricky to adopt a glass-half-full attitude at the moment, but there are small things we can do to manage our mental health. Here Puja K McClymont, life coach at House of Wisdom, shares her five top tips for staying positive.
- Plan for the following: what you’ll eat, how you’ll keep safe, manage stress, work, family’s needs, connecting with others – at a minimum twice a week – especially as the days get shorter and SAD becomes more common.
- Every morning and evening, write a gratitude journal. Be grateful for what you do have everyday such as health, loved ones, a job, other income and your home. When you focus on what you do have, you keep your mind in a solutions-focused direction which helps when there is adversity.
- Think of ways to create as much joy as possible – whether that’s watching a comedy or kicking the autumn leaves – and ensure you keep moving with daily exercise, even if it’s just a walk.
- Manage media consumption: both social media and news, as well as talking to people who bring you down. Fear breeds fear and compromises your immune system.
- Stay in touch with people, especially when you don’t feel like it.
It may also help to join Louise Murray’s 28 Day Lockdown Self-Love Club. Over the course of the next few weeks, a group of qualified wellness practitioners will share tools, practices and exercise sessions to help navigate through tough times. Alongside the daily sessions you’ll receive daily affirmations, a printable journal template, a ‘self-care menu’ and more, plus optional access to private Facebook and WhatsApp groups. Join the club here.
Fitness
Lockdown 1 proved we can keep fit without the gym, and the at-home fitness offering is even better this time round. The cold weather may make your morning 5k less appealing, but over the past few months many top gyms have been squirrelling away to perfect their digital programmes. London fitness studio Psycle, for instance, has launched Psycle At Home, featuring online classes of all four of its workouts: Ride, Barre, Strength and Yoga. You can find all the other great at-home workout options here, and if you’re in need of some extra motivation why not treat yourself to one of these trendy activewear pieces? Mango dropped its first ever activewear collection recently, designed with yoga, pilates and mindfulness pursuits in mind.
If you are prepared to brave the cold, remember you can exercise with another person – either from your own household, or from another household providing you adhere to social distancing. This means you can have personal training sessions outdoors in public parks or green spaces. Exercising outdoors has a whole host of extra proven health benefits too, such as improved self-esteem, better sleep and increased exposure to Vitamin D, which is important for mood regulation.
Nutrition
Pandemic fatigue got you reaching for the biscuit tin every 10 minutes? Us too – but we all know eating better helps us feel better. So Anna Cummings, registered nutritionist and head of coaching programmes at Liva Healthcare, is here to help with her three top tips for good nutrition during lockdown.
- Don’t restrict food groups. Try to make sure you’re choosing from all the food groups throughout the day and that each day includes good quality sources of protein, fruit, vegetables, fibre and carbohydrates. Aim for half a plate of colourful non-starchy vegetables, a quarter plate of protein food (plant or animal), a quarter plate of carbohydrates (think potatoes, squash and wholegrains), and a little healthy fat.
- Source vitamin D. In the UK, one in five people are vitamin D deficient all year round. We’re spending more time inside over lockdown, with shorter days and a less intense sun over winter. This has the potential to make getting enough vitamin D harder. While supplements can help and are recommended by Public Health England (10mcg/day over winter and autumn), you can also get your vitamin D from foods like oily fish or eggs. Vitamin D is associated with supporting our immune system and helping us to ward off those winter bugs.
- Be mindful of your snacks. Going into the winter months, it’s common to crave foods that are high in sugar and fat. Stocking up on wholesome snack choices around the house can be really helpful – try a nice handful of almonds with a crispy apple, or a few squares of 80 per cent dark chocolate when you’d like a treat.
Clothing
If you didn’t invest in a whole load of loungewear last time round, now is your chance – particularly as being cosy is even more important during winter. We’ve pulled together some of the most luxurious loungewear pieces, from silk tracksuit sets to cashmere socks. It’s a good time to up your pyjama game too – we’re loving the new collections from Desmond & Dempsey and Olivia Von Halle.
Working from home
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Struggling to stay productive while working from home? Every job is different, but there are universal ways to keep efficiency levels high and avoid going stir-crazy. Here designer, illustrator and long-term WFH maestro Emily Brooks shares the top tips she’s learned over the years. Grace Paul’s timely book The Ultimate Guide To Working From Home is filled with helpful advice too – here’s an extract.
Entertainment
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Long, dark evenings call for cosy nights snuggled on the sofa with a cuppa, and luckily the autumn is always a strong time for TV. New releases to be excited about include series four of The Crown (out 15 November), Sky Atlantic’s The Undoing (launched a couple of weeks ago, with new episodes out each Monday) and Steve McQueen’s latest drama, Small Axe on BBC One.
Books-wise, there’s Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land, Nick Hornby’s endearing Just Like You, Robert Harris’ Second World War thriller V2, and Margaret Attwood’s long-awaited new poetry collection, Dearly. Fancy using the time to tackle a long read? We’ve pulled together the ultimate quarantine reading list here. We’ve got a whole host of other TV, podcast and book recommendations in our regularly updated culture radar, and check out the C&TH book club for our favourite books of all time.
Sleep
Are you suffering from coronasomnia? Here sleep expert therapist, Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, advises a drug-free approach to getting a good night’s sleep, including talking therapy, mindfulness, exercise and lighting. We’ve also got our eyes on Mela Comfort’s collection of weighted blankets (£99), proven to help ease muscle tension and reduce stress hormones using a combination of deep pressure therapy and cotton and eucalyptus materials.
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