How to cope when you feel trapped!

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.

A. A. Milne

BE GRACIOUS

Try and remember that you are not the only person in your household dealing with this somewhat crazy situation. Although at times you may be on an emotional rollercoaster, so may the rest of your family. So try and cut each other some slack and be gracious.

RE-EVALUATE

Following a great conversation I had with my sister whereby we discussed various things that we no longer wanted to carry forward into our life after this situation, Amy said to me that we already have the foundations to build on for the changes we want to make, so be encouraged.

NEGATIVITY

You only have to turn on the radio, tv or even scroll through your social media to come across fake news, negativity and general discontent. To be honest I decided that the best policy for this was to only listen to the news once a day or every other day and to mute those on my friend’s list that was just making me feel worse. And if you are the one spilling out the negativity have a word with yourself. Not only are you upsetting your own mindset but also those that you may hold dear.

FINANCIAL PRESSURE

During this unsettling season, there may be an increase in financial pressure. Maybe it was tough enough before all of this started. Maybe you are self-employed and have had to stop working, or you have had your wages reduce to 80% or even been laid off.

Please get advice as soon as you can, and put into motion anything you can that will ease the burden. Whether that is requesting a mortgage holiday, or reaching out to support groups so that you won’t go hungry. Whatever it is I really do hope that you will ask for help and advice. Don’t try and work everything out on your own because that will make it even more daunting.

For advice maybe check out your local Facebook groups, or have a look online at Martin Lewis. And of course, you can join our Facebook group. Please though allow others to help.

So what can I do to stay positive?

1. Read daily affirmations.

Not only will these encourage you, but they may also encourage someone else if you were to share them online.

https://www.huffpost.com

2. Start doing some exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel more positive. Now you may say how am I supposed to do that if I can’t go ours. Well, you are allowed 1 hour of exercise a day, unless of course, you are self-isolating. If that is the case why not enlist yourself in an online group or join an online class. You don’t even have to do anything that is too energetic, you could just spend 15 minutes a day stretching.

Krissy Cela / Tone and Sculpt

Mad Fit / Beginners Flexibility

3. Have a wardrobe clearout.

Now is the time to get that wardrobe sorted. I know that you won’t be able to take anything to the charity shop right now. So why not have a Friday night clothes swapping party online with your friends.

You could use something like Zoom and connect with one another, show off you pieces that you no longer want, and if any of your friends want them then put them to one side for a later date. And I bet after a few glasses of wine, the laughter will start. Especially if you dig out some dodgy-looking outfit from the 1970s.

You could also do this with books, shoes, CD’s etc. See it as a Friday night swap shop.

4. Download a book.

How many times have you said that you just don’t get the chance to sit down and read a good book? Well, now you can. Okay, you may have to download it onto a device but that really doesn’t matter.

5. Listen to a podcast.

I never used to listen to podcasts until I started listening to James Smith. I can’t believe how much I actually learned. There are so many great podcasts out there that we are spoilt for choice.

6. Re-asses your makeup and skincare routine.

Now I bet your thinking why would I want to play around with my makeup when I am not going anywhere, and yes I can see your point. But just imagine how much more confident you are going to feel if you master that winged eyeliner, or learn how to make your lips look plumper.

And being inside the majority of the time is going to dry out your skin, so why not learn how to look after it properly. Give it the TLC it requires. These are some of my online beauty favourites, just in case you want to check them out.

Caroline Hirons

Trinny Woodall

Nadine Baggott

7. Sort out your life.

Okay, what I actually mean by this is get your finances in order, write a journal, look at how you can save in the future, think about your goals and begin to set some for yourself.

Let’s face it how many of us have said, If only I knew how to organise my finances better, or how can I put my goals into action. Well, you can. The only person standing in your way is you. Even if money is tight start the whole a penny a day savings into a jar. So say the first of the month you save a penny, the second two pence and so on until you reach the end of the month and you put 31 pence on that day. Or do it for the year until the last day you put £3.65 into the jar.

There are some great books and websites out there can encourage and guide you. One of these is The Edited Life and if you are anything like me, you will love making a bullet point book!

8. Pretend you are moving house.

Okay, so this wasn’t my idea it came from a member of our online support group. Jude suggested that we move our upstairs downstairs. Now although a little crazy that did make me think, why don’t we all just have a move around. Maybe take all of your ornaments, vases, photo’s etc that are dotted around the house. Have a good old clean, move some furniture, wash the bedding, throws and cushion covers and then put your ornaments somewhere else.

9. Start a new business/blog

So you may have always fancied yourself as a writer even if it’s to write your own journal online. Or you fancy a change of career. Maybe you want to go freelance and don’t quite know how to go about it. Well now is the time.

I was encouraged recently by a friend of mine who had worked as a dental nurse for the most part of her working career. Although she still enjoyed it she felt as though she wasn’t realising her full potential. So she left and started shopping, cleaning and caring for the elderly. Very quickly she was overrun with requests! And if she can do it then so can you.

To start a blog all you need is a platform like WordPress, Blogger or something like six. And if you want to write but not online then why not write a diary and try and make it as interesting as possible so that you can pass it onto your grandchildren for them to read when they are older.

10. Start a new hobby

Many of us would like to learn a new skill, whether that’s how to edit our Instagram photo’s professionally or to learn a new language. One great way to do this is to enrol with Skillshare.

And if you wanted to learn something a little more creative there are plenty of ideas’s on Pinterest, and Youtube.

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