If you take ONE THING from lockdown…make it something for YOU

There’s no doubt in my mind we’ve all just lived through the strangest time ever, and it’s taken a massive toll on so many of us mentally, physically and with our moods. And like everyone, I can’t wait to see the back of no hugs, disrupted routines and feeling disconnected from the people I love. But as we’re coming out of lockdown three (or was that five… I’ve lost track) it’s the perfect time to look back and take stock of the positives as well as making sure we’re being kind to ourselves on the negatives.

Firstly, my BIG silver lining has been watching so many people realise that mental health is important, necessary, and something to be prioritised in a 360° way along with physical health. The extra enforced down time, the pressure of having to adapt to something brand new and obviously the worries we’ve all faced have thrown this need into sharp focus, with loads of us realising we need to put the time in for ourselves. So what I want to do as we start seeing glimpses of normal life again is to make a list of things to keep with me, even if it’s just ONE THING, that I’ve learned from the past year-and-a-half. Tempting as it is to consign the whole period to the memory bin, I’m convinced there are so many valuable lessons that will improve our lives going forward.

Take being outside for example. Did you find yourself getting a burst of joy just by getting out there on a fresh day? We heard so much from the NEOM community about how you were all finding joy in the littlest of things that I hope popping outdoors is something we can keep prioritising, if that’s what’s made you feel good. Back inside, I’ve personally found journaling such a valuable addition to my wellbeing toolkit that I’ll be making sure I keep this habit going even as my old routines creep back in. I find it a double whammy of de-stressing head-emptying which calms me and helps me wind down for sleep. And with LIFE coming fast around the corner again, staying calm and sleeping well are two superpowers I feel I’m going to need!

We also hear SO MUCH in our chats and live events with you about how being kind to yourself is a huge challenge. Because it really is - it’s SO easy to compare ourselves to other people, make unrealistic goals in our heads or just pile on the pressure when we get in our own heads. But there’s a huge difference between having the drive to meet your goals and beating yourself up, so I’m looking forward to the habit of letting ourselves off the hook continuing, because we’re going to need it more than ever.

The lessons we learned when the world stopped were hard-learned for sure, and we all had to adapt our wellbeing toolkits (or let’s face it survival toolkits) just to get through, but now it’s time to re-evaluate, and adjust those things again to fit in with our old/new lives. If you’re going back to the office, get that nature fix by getting off your train a stop early and walking through a leafy street or park to get there. If you LOVED the extra time with the kids, have a look at new ways to schedule that together time like family meals (around the after school club schedule of course). For me, it’s just about the ways we can adapt and adjust the things that make us feel good and slot them into our lives, because goodness knows we deserve it.

NEOM is here to help you with your wellbeing goals always - take a look at our list of ten top things we’ll be carrying through below, and join us from now till Monday 17th on neomorganics.com and @neomorganics as we run a series of live events to help you identify that one thing.

Nicola x