14 Tips to Power Through Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions in Sydney.

I'm not coping with the latest lockdown. We can't do this again. Cases keep climbing. Our holiday has been disrupted. My family is separated. The Government needs to do more. When will we get more Pfizer doses?

These comments, and more, are what I am hearing from people living through the Sydney July 2021 Covid-19 lockdown.

For me personally, I am a single dad to two boys. On a usual week, I experience the hustle, bustle, energy & chaos, followed by a sudden switch to the polar opposite; isolation, solitude, loneliness, living solo. When you then overlay restrictions, it's hard to not experience a negative mental impact. I have also been affected personally by the loss of a member of my extended family as a result of Covid.

We all react and process things differently, based on our personalities, strengths, weaknesses, habits and mindsets.

This article is written based on the current situation in Sydney, Australia, as of mid-July 2021. I will be sharing a detailed list of tips, techniques, ideas and guidance of what you can do to get through the current restrictions, how you can improve your mood, your mental health and keep yourself and your family safe.

Firstly, this starts with setting the right expectations. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the situation will get much worse before it gets better. The restrictions we are experiencing today will increase. Further limitations in movement, activity, our way of living, will imminently be introduced. Hospital admissions and people infected with Covid will continue to increase. Expect stricter border closures, travel bans, your plans disrupted and for this to go on longer than you anticipate.

Why am I telling you this? So you can set the right expectations and prepare yourself. If you watch the news every day and suddenly hear new restrictions - 'Oh my god, we can no longer do outdoor exercise!', 'Can you believe we are now at 150 cases?!', become the catch-phrases. Being aware of where things are heading, allows you to mentally and physically prepare for that, and equip yourself with the right frame of mind and habits, to help guide you through this.

Particularly, lockdown restrictions can have an adverse effect on single people, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression and lower mood symptoms. If you live alone, it's important to proactively work on establishing some of these habits and changes in your life. If you know someone who lives alone, be sure to reach out to them and check if you can offer support.

On to the list of tips...(remembering that you must adhere to local restrictions, so not all may be possible, depending what is currently happening when you read this).

1.? Get Back To Basics
2.? Exercise
3.? Limit your Exposure to News / Media
4.? Connect With Others
5.? Be Honest and Realistic
6.? Prioritise Your Mental Health
7.? Personal Development
8.? Working From Home
9.? Practice Gratitude
10. Technology Habits
11. Raising Children
12. Ramp Up Your Self-Care
13. Communication
14. Bring Back The Fun!
        

1. Get Back To Basics

• Getting a good night's sleep does wonders - aim for 8 hours /night. Set a bedtime alarm and stick to it.
• Establish good technology habits - have a break from devices immediately before bedtime and don't sleep with your phone next to your bed.
• Make your bed every morning. This provides a sense of accomplishment at the start & end of each day.
• Eat healthily. Not only does this improve your immune system, but it gives your body the fuel it needs during these tough times.
• Keep an eye on your alcohol consumption. It's easy for this to creep up during lockdown and can have a negative effect on your health and mood.

2. Exercise

• Get some sunshine! Vitamin D is really important in winter.
• Physically connect with nature - I'm talking toes in the sand at the beach; sit/lay on the grass (push-ups/sit-ups). Ground yourself with nature!
• Even if you don't feel like it, it's too cold, etc - you will thank me later. Exercise gets the body moving, blood pumping and it's a paradox, you definitely won't feel like doing it when you can really benefit from it and need it the most, so get that heart pumping!
• Start small, even a light, brisk walk around the block at the start & end of each day.
• Incorporate exercise with something you enjoy, watching the sunrise, or sunset, seeing the stars. Connect with nature, the Japanese have been practicing 'forest bathing' for many years as a way to alleviate high-stress corporate life, soaking in the positive, calming effects of nature.

3. Limit Your Exposure to News / Media

• This is probably one of the most difficult things to implement, yet it is highly effective if you follow it. Negative news sells, it's very easy to get absorbed into the hour-by-hour drama unfolding. Exposure to negative news relating to Covid builds fear and anxiety.
• Identify reputable sources for information and schedule set times to get up to date.
• NSW Health Twitter Feed can let you know the exposure sites and daily case numbers.
• Covid-19 Near Me lists all the announced venues in an easy to manage format.
• NSW Health & Service NSW can keep you up to date on the restrictions affecting you.
• Everything else should be avoided completely. Constantly reading about vaccine supply, border closures, hospital ICU rates, politics, is not going to help with your mental state.
• If you are needing to find relevant information relating to vaccines, only gather data from reputable sources such as ATAGI, CDC, EMA, your GP or health professionals.

4. Connect With Others

• Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp, etc all allow video call functionality.
• If you are on video calls all day for work, go old school and make some phone calls to connect.
• Reach out to colleagues, old school friends, family, relatives, other's going through lockdown restrictions and keep in touch.
• If you know of any single people who may be feeling isolated, proactively contact them and check in on them. Being kind to others also helps improve our own happiness.

5. Be Honest and Realistic

• It's OK not to be fine.
• It's OK not to be working at your normal, pre-Covid pace.
• It's OK that things have slipped around the house or there's washing everywhere and the kids are glued to technology / iPads today.
• Ask yourself: "Does this really need to be done now?"
• Give yourself a break, you are living through a pandemic here.

6. Prioritise Your Mental Health

• The Government has provided generous Medicare rebate provisions for up to 20 psychologist sessions per year.
• Seek out the support and help of your GP and get a referral and mental health care plan to access rebatable psychologist sessions.
• Beyond Blue is a great online resource to help access mental health resources.
• See what services may be available to you. If one of your family works for a large organisation, they may have access to an Employee Assistance Program, where they and their immediate family, may be eligible for a number of free psychology sessions.
• The Centre for Clinical Interventions has some great resources for anxiety, worry and tolerating stress for yourself and looking after others.
• Some self-help books such as Sarah Elderman - Change Your Thinking , can help you use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to reduce negative thinking and anxiety.
• Meditation - Headspace & Calm both have apps that provide some great guided meditation tracks and are well suited to beginners. 5-10 minutes each day can help you to be calmer and build your mental muscles further to cope with life's challenges.

7. Personal Development

• Reignite old passions, start a side-hustle, work on something you love. This can create purpose and meaning in your life. I'm working on creating an educational solution to help primary school students be better equipped for a vibrant future, as well as preparing & learning everything there is to know about undertaking a solo sailing expedition.
• There is something therapeutic about building, fixing or working on a project and can help you feel a great sense of accomplishment. Maybe photography is your thing, art, music, or you always wanted to learn a language. It's a great time to chase your dreams!
• Yale offers a free course on The Science of Well-Being . You can do it at your own pace.
• Journaling can help you unclutter your mind and 'dump' your worries onto paper.
• Read! It's a great time to dust off those books you always wanted to read.

8. Working From Home

• For those who have now switched to 100% remote working from home...it can be tough!
• Take regular and proper breaks. Do a few quick star-jumps, stand up, keep your body moving.
• Don't eat lunch at your desk while you work, have proper breaks.
• Set an alarm for your finish time. It is easy to blur the boundaries significantly when you live and work from the same environment.
• Try and cut down on some video calls, or turn your webcam off. It's hard to see yourself all day long!
• Put a blanket over your computer/desk if it is in your bedroom, or pack your laptop away - constantly seeing it can trigger feelings of guilt or allow you to justify just 'doing one more quick thing'...(which can easily turn into an hour!).
• Commute to work. Yes! Even when working from home. Do a lap around the block at the start of the workday, and again at the end of the day, to unwind/debrief and establish a set ritual for the start and end of your workday.

9. Practice Gratitude

• Ask others how they are doing, reach out to them. Do they need anything? Do you know anyone who is forced into isolation? How can you help them? Elderly neighbours, friends, non-English speakers or non-tech-savvy individuals.
• We are blessed to live in a country with such a robust health system, access to resources and infrastructure that can support vaccine rollouts, health care and remote work.
• Focussing on what you are grateful for is a great way to boost our mood and happiness.

10. Technology Habits

• Keep an eye on your screen time. It's very easy for this to increase under the circumstances. Try to limit your social-media scrolling and instead focus on establishing meaningful connections and positive habits.
• Cal Newport has a great book called Digital Minimalism which can help to establish healthy tech behaviours. James Clear also a great book called Atomic Habits .

11. Raising Children

• It's not going to be the end of the world if your children can't sit deeply engaged, learning at home.
• If your children are on screens more than usual, it's not the end of the world right now. You can get things back to normal later.
• Lower your expectations and standards! Again, this is a pandemic we are living through, it's OK if they can't churn through work and learn all day long. Just do what you can.
• Can you get family to help? Even if they are remote, perhaps they can coordinate Zoom video calls to help your child through work. This is a great help for me and my two boys love interacting with their grandparents over technology.
• Can you get extra childcare days?
• Try and coordinate your kids to be able to video-call their friends from class.
• Explain to your children what's going on in the world and your city, in an age-appropriate way, and offer them emotional support.
• Circle of Security is a great course for enhancing attachment security between parents and children and allow you to increase your awareness of your child's needs.

12. Ramp Up Your Self-Care

• Get a massage (when you can), or if you have a partner, you can each do this.
• Have a long soak in a hot bath to relax your muscles.
• Light a candle or some incense. Do what helps make you unwind & lower stress levels.

13. Communication

• Speak up, and let other people know how you are really coping and feeling. Chances are, they are feeling similar too.
• Be clear with your employer and reach out if you are struggling and not coping so alternative arrangements can be made to reassign work, access leave and get support.
• Work on your relationship (if you have a partner), being in lockdown together can add strain and stress onto your relationships so it is important to prioritise working on this. The Gottman Institute is a great resource and has a weekly newsletter with tips.

14. Bring Back the Fun!

• Try and introduce some fun into your environment and days.
• Play some board games with your kids (if you have kids), or others, or find ways to play with a friend over a video call.
• Watch a movie concurrently with a friend remotely.
• Play hide-and-seek around the house with the kids.
• Watch some comedy shows, laughter is great for your mood.
• What did you like to do as a kid for fun? Bring back some memories reintroducing childhood favourite activities.

Remember, it's in times of adversity that we have the greatest growth. Use this as an opportunity to slow down. Reset your life. Have you been pursuing and chasing aspirations that are shallow or not aligned to your values? This is a great time for reflection and to overhaul your priorities and look within yourself to discover what really matters to you.

How you cope through the remainder of this lockdown is all about perspective. This is highly disruptive and scary to go through. For some, this happening during a cold, rainy winter, makes it even worse. But, remember - spring and summer will be coming. Hopefully, by then, a large portion of the population is vaccinated, and hopefully, our case numbers and the disruption caused by Covid-19 is lessening, with restrictions easing.

Humans have been facing adversity since the beginning of our existence. Shakespeare lived his entire life in the shadow of the bubonic plague. Isaac Newton had to do his university studies from a rural family estate and produced some of his best work during his year in quarantine. We can get through this, by starting with some simple changes to our lives.

Remember, there is light glimmering through the long dark tunnel.

Grab a pen and paper, choose three things mentioned in this article that you can implement straight away, write the date you will have started them by, and stick it on your fridge!

The time to get started is now!

By Damian Holz