Lockdown 3: Staying Motivated (even though it’s super hard!)

They do always say third time’s the charm… Maybe we’ll finally knock out the virus this time?

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Only the second post of the year and it’s already gone to shit… yeesh.

Since the excitement of staying at home wore off… almost a year ago, it’s super hard to stay positive during yet another national lockdown. However, most of 2020 was about making the most of a bad situation, and even though it’s going to be super hard, it’s important that we try and keep moral up throughout this lockdown. My gorgeous girlie Blondie said that it would be a very positive thing if I wrote an article on how to keep motivated during lockdown, so I am giving that to you lovely lot! I’ll be honest with you, this was a hard article to write because as of recently, I cannot help but be slightly cynical about everything that’s going on. Nonetheless, writing this cheered me up immensely. Of course, it’s completely fair to be pissed about it all, I’m pissed about it all! This is going to be tricky, but we’ve got this. We’re strong, we’re doing good, we have Taylor Swift on our side, we can do this together!

DISCLAIMER: I know this is a difficult time for us all, there’s no sugar coating it. if you feel as though you need extra support, please don’t hesitate to contact any of the numbers here. Remember, no matter how much you feel it at times, you are not alone.

Photo by Yaroslav Danylchenko on Pexels.com

My Main Aim This Lockdown:

My overall goal for this lockdown is to get shit done, and look good while doing it.
I don't care what it is I'm doing, but you better believe that I am going to be looking my absolute best and working to be my absolute best so I'm ready for post-lockdown season!

The Personal Bits and Bobs I Will Be Doing:

My AS exams have been cancelled, but so far my A Levels have not, so most of my lockdown will be spent on Microsoft Teams, trying to scribble down notes from lessons, ensuring I understand it all, and just trying my hardest to be prepped for my A Levels! This is a good thing as it keeps my mind active. It stops the boredom seeping in, and it’s very good just for life in general!

On top of this, I will be doing daily workouts and fitness (more on this later!) and I’m doing something with a few of my friends where we’re going to have daily/weekly catch ups.

I am a complete social butterfly. I thrive off of speaking to others, which is the main reason I struggled so much in lockdown number one. This time, I have organised Skype calls with my boyfriend daily (something we’ve been doing since before Christmas), and weekly FaceTime calls with my gorgeous girl-friend. This is a great way to catch up with all of their crazy ways, gossip about whatever is on our mind and just generally have some interaction with others my own age.

Another thing which I’ll be doing this lockdown (much like I did in the previous two lockdowns) is I will be preparing myself for amazing, wonderful things after lockdown. By the end of this lockdown, I’ll have a to-do list ready and waiting to be completed, ready and waiting to make memories. This was one of the things which has kept me going for so long and I’m not letting it go when I need it most!

What I Am Doing To Help My Mental Health:

As you know, my mental wellbeing is something which I have struggled with for years now. However I am most definitely on the mend, I still have a bit of a way to go, and that’s okay! One big plan which I have for this lockdown is my new mini-challenge which I’d love you all to take part in! get dolled up with no-where to go is a new plan which lets me treat every day like it’s a fashion show, wearing all my cute outfits, trying out new makeup looks, and just generally taking care of myself and my appearance. It helps me to feel more in control of my life, which is something I think we can all agree I need now more than ever.

Something else which I began in December was looking after something other than myself. I bought three cacti from IKEA and I love them with my whole heart. They look cute, they give me the motivation to get out of bed, they’re not too high maintenance and they are super cute! Whenever I feel upset I remind myself I need to look after my plants, whom I have endearingly named “my children”. It honestly helps a lot and I recommend anyone who’s feeling a lack of motivation currently.

Finally, I will be doing a bunch of hobbies and things which cheer me up, and I will be talking about those more later! Feel free to use my ideas, I hope you find they help!

What I’m Doing to Help My Physical Health:

As I mentioned in my last post, I am going to be working on my wellbeing and fitness, and I will be explaining it a little more here.

As I briefly mentioned, my boyfriend has made me see fitness a whole new way. He showed me what wonders it’s done for his own self-confidence, and I’m sure you’ll reap the benefits also. It’s incredibly good for your wellbeing, releasing endorphins into your body, and overall just getting that post-lockdown-ready-for-the-beach-body! Soon I’ll be posting a list of exercises which are COVID Friendly – meaning you can do them at home, with no extra equipment!

I will also be looking after my skin, using masks I got for Christmas from MadBeauty, sticking to a strict skincare routine, eating healthier and drinking lots of water!

All of these things are very important to consider, and don’t forget to go outside once a day, and get that Vitamin D!

Things to Think About – Ideas and Inspiration for Lockdown Activities:

Of course, as much as I love to, I don’t want to just talk about me for this whole post! This is also about you, your mental wellbeing and what will help you during these tough times. Hopefully some of these ideas will help and if you have any more, feel free to comment them, I’d love to hear your ideas!!

• Start a new hobby! Sky’s the limit.
• If you’re a dab hand at sewing, why not sew face masks for you and your family? Protect yourself and those you love, but why not look cute doing it?!
• Drawing! Last lockdown, I really loved going on walks and seeing all the rainbows in the windows and the “Thank you NHS” signs and more! I really want to keep that up this time so, you know what to do!
• Read! It never hurts to transport yourself to a COVID-Free world! Currently I have set myself a mini challenge to read 12 books in 12 months, let’s see how I get on!
• Netflix! The Office (US) is on the UK Netflix now so… what are you waiting for?! It’s brilliant, and I can guarantee you I’ll be watching it over and over again.
• Cooking/baking! It’s a calming chemical reaction following a recipe, which I enjoy hugely. No time like the present!
• Try out new makeup looks! If they fail horrifically, who’s going to know?
• Organise your house – get a head start on spring cleaning! You got this.
• Keep your mind active, playing logic games, things like Trivia or even Monopoly, watching game shows and yelling the answers at the TV and getting annoyed when the contestants are wrong, they’re fun pastimes which will keep you alert which is always good
• Take some photos! Sing! Dance! get creative!
• And most importantly, have at least 20 minutes each day to just… breathe. You need it, just calm down and relax!