During all of the drama due to Coronavirus, I felt like I got to a stage where I lost myself. I was stuck in a rut. I was eating far too much. Dressing like a frump and not feeling or looking after myself. I ended up reaching a point where something just snapped in my head. I realised that I had to make some big changes to my life in order to make myself feel better.

It took quite a few weeks/months for me to get back to my happy place. But, I had to have a big change up to get back into a better mental and physical space. And in an attempt to try and solidify those new habits that I have put into action, I figured why not document it and share it here on my site.

 

 

Daily Exercise.

I actually like to exercise and that is something that I never thought I would say. My passions are cycling, jogging, HIIT and walking. I started slow and built myself up to where I was before lockdown. The thing with exercise for me is that I really do see it as a help with my mental health. It gets me out of the house, gets my endorphins going and I feel so much better for it. I think to begin with I was just going on a 20-minute walk after my working day. It felt bloody incredible to get a little fresh air into my lungs. Don’t get me wrong, before exercising I couldn’t think of anything worse. However once I get going and see the minutes tick up on my Apple Watch, I know I’ve done the right thing!

 

Making an Effort.

I normally wear makeup everyday of the week, with the exception of a Sunday. When lockdown happened and I was working from home day in and day out, there was no need for me to get ready anymore. Honestly, getting changed out of my pyjamas into my sweats and doing nothing other than cleansing my face, I felt bloody awful. My hair and makeup normally gives me a boost and some extra confidence which I find helps me to do better in work and with my personal life. I put myself back on my normal schedule and felt so much better for it. I have always put myself together for nobody other than myself. Looking in the mirror and taking pride in my appearance made an immense difference.

 

Creating and Sticking to a Meal Plan.

I think that the saying is so true that you are what you eat and after around month 2 of lockdown I literally felt like I was just a big bag of fat and biscuits. With my whole OCD thing and need for routine, I map out all of my meals and snacks and it keeps me on a good track. We are back to healthy and wholesome meals, don’t get me wrong there are still many snacks in there, but I am feeling better, more energised and fully back on track with my health and my physical fitness and boy was it needed. These days it is just far too easy to indulge in everything that is naughty, which is fine for a period, but after a while it takes it toll.

 

Cut One-Sided Relationships.

I feel like everybody at some time in their life will realise that they have some friendships that are not necessarily built on equal respect. Going into lockdown and having so much distance between me and my friendship group, it was easy to see at a glance those who went out of their way to check in on you and check you were ok. It was very funny that in so many circumstances as soon as I stopped reaching out to certain people on a regular basis, the friendship halted to a stop. It was hard to begin with because in all honestly, I am not flush with a huge friendship group. However, brutally speaking, cutting that dead weight made a huge difference to me.

 

Pushing Myself to Be Social.

Honestly, sometimes I could sit in my house for week after week without ever leaving and speaking to anybody. I am quite the opposite of a social butterfly. However, it was my New Years resolution for 2020 and something that I am still trying to work on. I began arranging nights out with the girls again. Going on date nights with my husband. Inviting my family to my house for drinks and games nights. It was needed and it made me feel so much better. Maybe 2021 will be the year that I finally nail this!

 

Sometimes, it is the small changes that we make that can make the biggest difference to our mindset and outlook. For a while, I enjoyed getting to relax a little and fall from my routines, but I quickly realised that they enrich my life in so many different ways. I am grateful to be back on track now and in the best headspace.