Start the day with a morning self-care practice
Now is a golden opportunity to try putting a morning self-care practice into place. I find this really helps set the tone for the day and boosts my emotional resilience for whatever it throws at me. Doing a regular mindfulness practice first thing will help you manage anxiety (there are loads of apps you can try – I do the Calm app’s Daily Calm in the morning).
Take regular breaks to help you focus
Our productivity takes a dive if we don’t allow ourselves “off” time. Take a pause every 45 minutes and do some gentle stretches or focus on your breathing. I like to keep a bottle of orange essential oil to hand and take regular sniffs – it helps me feel energised, uplifted and clear-headed.
Get outside
It’s easy to become chained to your laptop, promising you’ll take a break ‘just after I’ve replied to this email’. But, if you’re able to, do go for a walk (if you have access to some greenery, even better!).You’ll come back feeling infinitely calmer, more clear-headed, more positive and ready to crack on with your afternoon’s jobs.
Separate your workspace
If you can, try to set aside an area of your home as a place for work so that it doesn’t intrude into your entire home life. As far as possible, keep your work to that one designated area and close the door on it when you’re done, rather than returning to it repeatedly throughout the evening.
Cut back on the news
It’s natural for us to want to keep up-to-date – and of-course important for us to keep abreast of the latest guidelines. But the need to read each new update as it lands can become compulsive and all-consuming, thereby feeding our anxiety. Checking in with a trusted news source once a day is all we need, so do limit yourself to a daily update. If you’re really worried about missing something crucial, you could always ask someone you trust to update you if necessary.
Keep your leisure time work-free
Make a point of bringing your work to a close and enjoying that feeling of closure so that it doesn’t leech out into your whole evening. Switch off your phone, allow yourself to relax and recharge your batteries. That way, you’ll be able to pitch up feeling fresh tomorrow and crack on with your work with loads of energy. Treat yourself to something nurturing to signify it’s the end of the working day and it’s downtime: for example, reading a novel, listening to music or lying down with your legs up the wall – this is one of the most restorative things you can do and is a lovely way to de-stress.
Suzy Glaskie is a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, founder of Peppermint Wellness (www.peppermintwellness.co.uk) and host of the Wellness Unwrapped podcast.
