Ok I'm not gonna lie - my mental health has been ALL OVER the place in the past few weeks. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had to deal with insane levels of stress and anxiety since the whole virus thing started, right?
It really kicked me in the balls as a self-employed photographer and after having crazy hard time finding mental space to deal with all of it I THINK I have finally come to the right conclusions. There were a couple of ways that helped me ground myself in these uncertain times.
Here's how I came to find peace in these stressful times:
-MEDITATION-
For me meditation is the ultimate cure. Not gonna lie - I find it extremely hard to sit down and get into the right headspace, however, knowing the benefits that mindfulness has on my mental health, I simply have to get my s*** together and zen out for at least 20 minutes every day.
If you're new to this I highly recommend guided breath work or body scan meditations.
It's an ultimate zen dose for a perfect relaxation. I've also recently started practicing Wim Hof's breathing method - I'll attach the link to the exercise in the description below. It's a serious energy booster!
-YOGA-
My love for yoga comes in waves. Last year I did my flow twice every day, then completely stopped for a few months, and have finally started living my best yogi life again ever since we moved to our new flat.
This movement meditation charges me for the rest of the day and charges my body with self-love, confidence, love, and gratitude.
Good vibes only, right?
-NATURE WALKS-
The first time I left home after a few days of self pitying was pure magic. I had a 3.5 hour walk in Ashton Court, and feeling the sun on my skin, listening to the birds, being surrounded by the woods was like nothing I've ever experienced before.
-RETAIL THERAPY-
OK maybe it does not fit well with the spiritual vibe I was going for, but I'm gonna tell you what helped me to get out of the anxiety trap the most. Online shopping was undoubtedly one of the best things that happened to me when I was at my lowest mental point.
I've ordered £97 worth of surfaces and props for my future jewellery shoots, a whole bunch of nuts, seeds, and buckwheat from one of those bulk-buy online shops, a couple of comfy lounge wear outfits (considering I'm probably not leaving my house for another 2 months and I've stopped taking myself seriously when wearing my favourite hoodies that have blueberry jam and gravy stains on), and a microphone for my future projects.
Gifting myself a couple of things made me happy for a little bit, and I am not ashamed to admit it.
-CREATIVE WORK-
The other day I attended an Instagram Live written poetry workshop by Rupi Kaur - my absolute girl crush and a real life goddess.
After that I started doodling and writing daily again and it feels SO GODDAMN AMAZING!
Pick up a pen and express yo-self. You can try one of my favourite writing exercises I've learned during the workshop:
Think about any word (freedom, home, sadness, nature, whatever), write it down in your notebook.
Time yourself for one minute and write down any words that come in to your mind when thinking about that particular word.
Now write a creative description of your initial word without using any of the associations you've written on the notebook in the past minute, the main word included.
-READING-
After a few months of not touching a single book I have finally got back into reading the Mountain Shadow - 900 pages of pure oratorical bliss.
Put your phone and laptop down, put some cheeky jazz on, and let yourself go in a good book. You'll see the change in you in no time.
-FAMILY TIME-
You probably haven't seen your closest ones for quite a while, and this is the time to spend more time together... ONLINE! You're not doing anything... They're not doing anything... Everyone's stuck at home trying not to go absolutely bonkers! Has there been a better time to reconnect and check in on each other?
-SPRING CLEAN-
It's time. Marie Kondo the hell out of your cupboards, closets, storage rooms. Declutter your space and your mind will follow!
So here we go, 8 tips on how to heal your soul during isolation - try at least a couple of them and I promise you'll see the difference :)