6 POSITIVE LIFE-LONG HABITS TO ADOPT WHILE IN LOCKDOWN

In every situation there are silver linings. While many of us may not be using our time indoors to write the next great novel or master an instrument, there are gentler ways of finding potential in the pandemic. With a slower pace comes an opportunity for discovery and the realisation that, often, we don’t have to go very far at all to feel the enrichment of the world around us. By connecting with it, we naturally fall in love with it, which invigorates the conservation and sustainability movements, too. Here are the 10 things we’re learning in lockdown – positive habits to start now and not give up.

1. NOTICE THE SMALL THINGS

There’s a lot to love on the doorstep if we just allow ourselves the time to pay attention and develop a fresh perspective. Noticing the small things that we pass on daily, hour-long sojourns can be a huge source of comfort and fascination – watching the journey from bud to bloom on that one tree, spotting how the same plants behave differently in different gardens and observing the wildlife beneath our feet is the ultimate in mindfulness and comes with all of the associated benefits. If you feel the need to make it more obviously constructive, take inspiration from London Forest School teacher Rachel Summers and chalk down tree names on the pavement as you go (the Woodland Trust has an app to help you identify ones you don’t recognise), creating uplifting and educational graffiti for those who follow in your footsteps.

2. GROW YOUR OWN PRODUCE

Growing food at home brings a whole new meaning to the term field to fork – we’re renaming it garden-to-gob. It’s amazing how many Good Life fantasies are flourishing in the coronavirus era, and whether it’s growing herbs on a windowsill (take a listen to the On The Ledge podcast for guidance and ideas) or setting up raised beds in the garden, we’re discovering it’s easier than we realised to create organic, ultra-local ingredients that nourish our bodies as well as our souls. The easiest starter herbs and vegetables are rosemary (it’s more forgiving of neglect than basil and can be easily propagated from an existing sprig) and potatoes (which you can grow from the last leftover potato in the bag, preferably one that’s already sprouting). Humans Who Grow Food on Instagram should get you dreaming big about what’s possible, and kitchen-garden beginners should start spring onions in water.

3. CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF ONCE A DAY ABOUT HOW YOU'RE FEELING MENTALLY

Do you have a recurring dream that you get when you’re anxious? Ours is always a test we haven’t studied for. Anyone else experiencing extremely intense dreams at night right now? Professor Mark Blagrove from Swansea University says that we’re experiencing ”a metaphorical replication of life in dreams which focuses on the emotional side.” In short, we’re not addressing what is making us anxious. Everyone knows that an exercise routine is important but what about a mental health routine? Make it a habit of checking in with yourself once a day about what you’re worrying about. Schedule in thinking time or write it all down in a notebook at the beginning of the day – but the important part is to give yourself time to process what you are thinking.

4. GIVE YOURSELF AN HOUR A DAY TO PURSE A PASSION

Look, we know you might be tired of hearing people tell you to ‘pick up a paintbrush!’ ‘Write a novel!’ But your passion doesn’t need to be as grand as learning a new language. Use this time to figure out what brings you joy outside of the things that you know you should do. Set aside an hour a day to pursue that passion – be it reading, chess, or origami – and make it into a habit. Right now, it will split up the days. Later, it will mean that you make time for your passions even in busy workdays (and busier social lives).

5. Create a shutdown ritual

We have office hours for a reason, and while we know we rarely stick to them in regular life, it’s even harder now when our routine is totally out of whack. In Daniel Pink’s book “Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us”, he shares a piece of advice on creating a habit of shutting down (which is a lot less intense than his book title). It’s simple: define a few things that help you shutdown after a workday. Write in a journal, create a to do list for tomorrow and shut the notebook, do the same stretch every day. It signals to your body and mind that work is over and helps you relax.

6. Write down three things you’re grateful for each evening

Ok, so your yogi friend might have tried to make you do a gratitude journal for the past 5 years and if you’re reading this, you probably resisted. Everything feels pretty bleak right now but when you look around there’s actually a lot to be thankful for. Killing Eve’s new season. Zoom. The fact that all parents understand the value of memes now. Write down three things that you are grateful for each evening to release some much needed happy thoughts into your brain. Don’t stop doing this once this is all over either. People with gratitude make for much more optimistic positive people – and we always need those.

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