Dig deep for mindfulness and patience

Are you climbing the walls with cabin fever?

Do you have a list of boring chores to finish but not really in the right zone or mindset or can't be arsed or get motivated? The trend for #isolationfashion and comfier sports gear and letting ourselves go as we raid the fridge relentlessly and hit the booze is all too tempting.

A friend (Thanks Kay!) has developed a structured timetable for the day involving one outdoor and one indoor exercise planned (there are loads on You Tube from stretching to yoga and pilates and classes), one creative (craft or activity) and one business activity - good plan I feel! And fabulous Davina McCall and Chris Hemsworth have opened up their free fitness trials of platforms and apps and offering indoor bootcamps and exercise routines to help the nation destress and exercise, The Royal Opera House and National Theatre are live streaming free online cultural performances in the evenings, free business webinars are popping up daily to feed our minds and brains and the fabulous Gareth Malone is getting the world singing on You Tube (including me!) nightly to raise our spirits and make our souls soar and nutrition and fitness expert Joe Wickes has been leading kids and adults alike with 9am morning exercise classes and even donated the ￡100K ad revenue to the NHS. And podcasts are booming with on-demand audio (You can always get inspiration on trauma and anxiety and coping in quarantine with this fortnight's guest on our #theinfluentialwomenpodcast that I just happen to host present and co-produce btw). Friendships have developed on HouseParty and WhatsApp and FaceTime video groups across all ages to stay in touch and raise a glass or chat and cook together - how fun is that?.

The change in society is pivotal and will be possibly different forever and possibly in the future travel will be different with more virtual conferences and less networking and unnecessary travel which can only save the planet and our environment - there have even been dolphins spotted in Italy - how incredible is that? We are even waving to strangers as we pass by them 6 feet apart and helping our communities, discovering new community actions and ways to help others and levels of empathy and gratitude previously ignored or taken for granted. And companies who defied 'home working' have managed to go online within days of lockdown fear so we really can do it and unite in the challenges.

But staying totally patient and being really mindful of what we have today and appreciating the perfect blossom on the trees in the park with our one exercise in nature and fresh air in our lungs changes our mindset, watching the toddlers laughing obliviously innocent of the state of fear and anticipation in the world is so refreshing, or seeing the birds that soar free above the trauma, and the total bliss of the ability to touch and hug your loved ones knowing they are safe and well today is a pleasure to be cherished. We are all impatient - some more guilty than others of the desperate need to speed up and rush and live in the future, to live and laugh and be social and experience everything now, to want what we don't already have and to yearn for a better life or more of what we want or think we need right now. But to stop and know that it is a great skill to cherish what we have, to be positive and optimistic, to be patient, to slow down and experience what is there right now infront of us, what we have and to not be complacent or take anything for granted anymore. If we have our health is our wealth and to have food on the table and loved ones coping then we are very very lucky. There are a lot of families suffering and our hearts go out to them that they recover.

Friends you know may be affected by working in the frontline of this nightmare - ones who are helping in the NHS, or in surgeries and pharmacists and on trauma wards as accidents still happen and keeping society in motion with food and groceries and petrol and clearing our refuse and helping our families stay safe and alive and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Stay mindful of them, of their sacrifice and fear and selfless support.

The clapping outside our homes was very emotional and so inspiring that the British reserve diluted for us to join together and celebrate, the Italians are singing on balconies and all of us are showing that we really care, and are thankful and feel present and grateful - truly thankful for those who are helping us. My darling friend (Anna) in Australia told me her relative is in ICU in Holland taken ill by this shocking virus and we pray they recover - Anna is a legend - a copywriter, a dreamer an incredible visualiser of life and inspires me regularly and thinks that patience and mindfulness are interconnected - she is so wise and that we should not try and rush into the future or skip the steps (to learn and feel and live).

We cannot luckily however feel fear and gratitude at the same time - so choose grateful and we cannot be mindful and impatient at the same time so choose mindful and patient.

So live for today - embrace your boring chores and your families and your homes and make your homes and gardens more cherished and adored and love your loved ones and be thankful that they are well and secure and able to cope. For to have patience for this to pass and to be given the freedom to live, love, laugh and learn again one day with new eyes is a gift and will hopefully change our perceptions and mindsets and behaviour and thoughtfulness and gratitude as we change history.

Everyone is suffering with work, separation, businesses, money, added pressure or and this is a real leveller no matter who and what you are and how much you have - we are all the same - all humans interconnected and following the disconnection of the internet are now so reconnected and we really can and should and must be mindful so stay patient, just believe, be kind and be present - this will pass if we stand together and help and protect everyone and let us remember that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. Be present, mindful, grateful and patient and stay safe everyone and download that ruddy podcast x