Community, Wellbeing
Published by
Ellie on 5th November 2020
Since the announcement of the new national restrictions, many of us may be feeling anxious about what is to come. 2020 has been an overwhelming year all round.
It was National Stress Awareness Day this week and, it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. This day reminds us of the effects of stress and the active steps we can do to manage our own stress or to help others we care about to do so.
This article brings together a few tips we hope will help during these challenging times.
1. Talk
If you can, keep in touch with your family, friends or support bubble – talking helps.
- Call someone close to you at least once a week, or as often as you need to
- Speak to a professional through community-based services like Mind, Rethink or Samaritans
- Reach out to specialist charities like CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) who have phone helplines and operators available 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year
Do you want to find new and creative ways to stay in touch with those further away? Here are some ideas of alternative virtual activities to keep spirits up.
2. Exercise
Exercise is proven to reduce stress, improve overall wellbeing, and strengthen your immune system. While gyms, physio and classes may be closed, there are some alternative ways to keep you moving.
- Search online for fun exercise videos, the NHS Fitness Studio has a variety of options depending on your ability, or you could try Joe Wicks, The Body Coach who streams live weekly workouts
- Try and go for a winter walk. Plenty of fresh air and natural daylight boosts the production of stress-busting endorphins
- Give Yoga or Pilates a try, both forms of exercise are known to be stress reducing. 30 days of Yoga with Adrienne or the channel Boho Beautiful are great starting points
3. Relax
Take time for yourself to relax and recharge your batteries. It’s natural to get overwhelmed.
- If you can, try and get some fresh air. If you have a garden, invest in some winter plants such as rhubarb and leeks to tend to over the season.
- Meditation. This can be done alone or with the help from an app such as Headspace, which have short guided meditations.
4. Cooking
It doesn’t matter how many people you may be cooking for, it works wonders for stress.
- Invest in cooking yourself your favourite meal, it’s satisfying to see hard work pay off and you get to eat delicious food too!
- Experiment with new recipes and cuisines you’ve never tried
- Be inventive with ingredients, try swapping ingredients with non-perishable goods that will last during lockdown. For ideas on no perishable food item, read our blog: healthy recipes using non-perishable foods in self-isolation.
We hope this article has helped you and others coping with lockdown and the stress it entails – we encourage you to keep a positive mindset.
We have launched a Facebook group: Together for Better Days, for long term pain sufferers and their loved ones to have a conversation, share tips and help one another – community is key during times like these. We are better together.
Take a look at the latest government guidelines for the UK here.
To Better Days has a range of active patches that help those experiencing sustained discomfort. Our easy to use adhesive patches contain a patented combination of vitamin D and dextrose to offer a topical and targeted option that supports the health of joints, muscles and nerves.
