Self care in lockdown

Hi guys! I thought I’d do a post on how I’ve been looking after myself during lockdown, as I know self care is something that a lot of people are struggling with. None of my little habits are necessarily groundbreaking, but incorporating them into my daily routine definitely makes my days better, and they’re my go to things for when I’m feeling down, so maybe this list will help some of you to take better care of yourselves too!

• The first thing on my list is reading a good book. I’ve always been an avid reader, but during lockdown I’ve had so much more time to settle down with a book and actually enjoy it, something which I think I had sort of deprived myself of in recent years. As much as I think Kindles and other e-readers are great, for me there is no better way to read than to pick up a proper paper book, and to read it curled up on the sofa or in bed, it’s so calming! If you want to see what books I’ve been reading, check out my book reviews here.
• Weekly face masks and a proper skincare routine are essential to helping me feel better about myself. Looking after our skin is such an easy thing to fit into our routine, and it honestly makes you feel so much more put together and ready to face the day. To see what my skincare routine is, check out my recent post here!
• Every evening before I go to bed, I do at least 10 minutes of yoga. I use a free app I found ages ago called “Workout Women”, which has a variety of different yoga routines as well as other workouts, but of course there are plenty of other apps, and there are also loads of Instagram and YouTube yoga videos, so it’s a case of finding out what works best for you. I find that daily yoga soothes me and puts me in the right headspace to be able to have a good night’s sleep.
• I try and workout 4 or 5 times a week now, which is remarkable as before lockdown I don’t think I was even working out 5 or 6 times a year! I mix it up between strength workouts, HIIT, and running, and I’ve found it really helps me to clear my mind. Even after a crap workout, I still feel proud that I did it, and it’s definitely helped me to feel better within myself. For running, I really recommend the “Couch to 5k” app, I’m on week 7 of the programme now and it’s been great for teaching me to love running, as it doesn’t push you too hard at first, and over the weeks you gradually start to run for longer periods of time.
• I find writing a to-do list each day really helps me with keeping my thoughts in order, and ticking things off throughout the day gives me a sense of accomplishment, even if the tasks are really small. I use the daily goal setting planner from Mal Paper, which you can find here.
• Another big thing for me has been listening to podcasts. I find it so enjoyable to listen to them as it really feels like you have company for a little while, which can be lovely as lockdown is sometimes a little lonely, especially if you’re quarantining alone or your family are out working during the day! I’m planning on doing a post on my favourite podcasts soon, so look out for that! I also find podcasts are a great educational tool, and I recently did a post on 6 podcasts to help us learn about race, which you can find here.
• The final thing on my list is cooking, which I’ve been doing quite a lot of in lockdown. I’m really enjoying coming up with new recipes, as I love to try new foods, and I’ve found cooking has become a really calming process for me (most of the time!)

I hope you’re all doing ok, and maybe some of these tips will help you to keep calm and happy during this difficult time. I hope you enjoyed the post, and I’ll see you soon!

Lola x