Here in Australia, we have had our fair share of lockdowns, as Covid-19 swept across the world and for many people, this creates a lot of stress, especially if you are out of work and have money worries. We are not used to sitting at home all day and if you miss out on socialising and have very little human contact, this can compound the issue.

Here are a few tips to ensure you retain your sanity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Physical Exercise – It is vital that you have adequate exercise on a daily basis; a short run in the morning and a 15-minute workout in the afternoon is ideal. You could watch keep-fit videos on YouTube or better still, enroll in a virtual fitness class, which most gyms and fitness centres offer. If you are inactive for a period of time, this can have a negative impact on your overall health.
• Change your Immediate Environment – You could, for example, order a few original prints from Lyons Gallery in Darlinghurst, where they have a wide range of fashionable wall art, all at affordable prices. To create a warm and inviting ambience, you could use scented candles or incense sticks and reduce the lighting, while background music when you want to relax is another good idea.
• Don’t Watch the News – There's nothing but bad news at the moment and while you do need to keep abreast with the Covid-19 updates from your government, try not to watch the news any more than you have to. Rather spend your time on more positive things and always allow yourself some ‘me time’ to do whatever it is that you enjoy most.
• Stay Connected – Using Zoom or Skype, you can continue relationships in a virtual way and while this is not the same as being together, it does offer you come social interaction, which we all need. Make a point of calling relatives on a weekly basis and do check out your friends, to see how they are handling the lockdown.
• Change your Routine – We are all creatures of habit and we naturally develop routines when we do thing without thinking and this can become rather tedious and boring. Chop and change your routine to keep things interesting, you could create a housekeeping schedule that rearranges when you do the tasks, which will make life a little bit less boring and predictable. Click here for some things to do when you are feeling down.
• Take Up a Hobby – Now is the ideal time to take up a hobby, which might be something physical, like a sport, or even handicrafts or building models; something that soothes your mind and gives you a focus.

Of course, we must all be informed about the latest Covid-19 situation, which can be done online and it won’t be long before the pandemic has run its course and we can get back to some form of normality.