Staying Calm during COVID

In 2014 I was introduced to a book with a brilliant premise. Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes is the story of Adolf Hitler awakening in 2011 (in full regalia) and with confusion on many people’s parts, inadvertently becomes a modern day satirical TV star.

The part I was most surprised about, is that the book was written in German by a German author. References to war and Hitler in Germany are not dissimilar to the “he who shall not be named” references in the Harry Potter franchise, a country where it remains a criminal offence to give a Nazi salute.

It’s not surprising then, to read that the vernacular around the pandemic in Germany has been vastly different to that in the UK.

Our own leadership has been likened to Churchill’s rhetoric during wartime Britain. We’ve been subjected to plenty of war analogies and metaphors with the likely intent of creating enough fear within us to force us into taking lockdown very seriously. 

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With spring now actively upon us, you may well have noticed more of the changing season around you - the reduction in road and pedestrian traffic has allowed the sounds of spring to become more apparent.

I was reminded this week of a fantastic coping technique for moments of anxiety. This is called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. By focusing on each of your senses at a time and becoming aware of your immediate environment, you can reduce your heart rate, breathing and bring your mind and body back to calm rapidly.

In my outdoor space, practising this technique I realised quite how much of spring was around me and how much joy it brings.

Anxiety can sneak up on us, and it's not always practical or possible to take a deep time out.

Here's a great quick fix; try this breathing exercise to immediately help you in those moments of rising anxiety.

Not only is it useful during the day to create a moment of pause, it has helped me fall asleep on several occasions when even the lavender oil hasn’t worked.

Anyone who has practised yoga will testify the power of mastery of breath leading to mastery of mind. Fortunately, you don’t need to stand on your head to benefit from this exercise.

Whilst we’ve been inundated with articles on the merits of physical exercise and its benefit to our overall sense of wellbeing, it’s not the panacea of calm.

Even the nation’s PE teacher Joe Wicks has talked this week about his mental health struggles during lockdown.

We’re seeing an increased number of people reporting disturbed sleep, in fact #cantsleep has been regularly trending on Twitter.

In our online resources section, Rachel wrote that sleep is the single most important tool to improving your almost every aspect of your life.

Without good sleep no matter how well nourish our body in other ways, we will increasingly deteriorate in energy, mood and skill. 

You’re probably familiar with the best sleep tips, but here’s a great reminder should you need one.

Personally lavender oil has always tricked my mind into restful sleep, quite possibly psychosomatic conditioning but successful nonetheless.