25 top tips for happiness in lockdown
Alice Cronin offers her 25 top tips to finding happiness at home, in these isolating times, as the nation is in lockdown.
All these tips are important. They are also not in any particular order. Follow them wisely!
1) Stay committed: give yourself a time schedule and stick to it. Routine is important and you don’t want to slip out of good habits.Being productive will give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of your isolated day.
2) Be grateful for everything every day: don’t focus on all the bad vibes coming your way. Stay happy and don’t lose your manners and positivity, just because it is a hard time.
3) Don’t stress out: just be prepared. Make a mental list about what you need to do to make your life comfortable and safe, and do your best to achieve these things.
4) Keep connected: right now, we need each other more than anything else. Happiness is contagious so spread some love and happiness through a text or a call! Scientists have said that face-to-face video calls are almost as effective as real human contact. Use them!
5) Go out in nature: being out in nature and looking up at the sky and the beautiful canopy of trees can really boost your mental wellbeing, and many experts have recommended it.
6) Stay positive: don’t focus on the negative things all the time - don't keep checking the news - always look on the bright side of life and consider all the positive outcomes.
7) Don’t multitask: as tempting as it is, don’t hop between lessons because it will just take longer overall, rather than if you schedule your day. It will also make you feel burnt out and there will be too many things going on.
8) Balance work with life: if you work too hard you will become burnt out; equally if you spend all of your time on Facetime with your friends and procrastinating, you’ll fall behind. Find a balance that works for you. Don’t overwork yourself, and don’t waste time either.
9) Don’t hold grudges or get into pointless strife: there are larger problems in the world than some petty argument. Take every day as a new day and try to turn over a new leaf. It’s easier to forget and forgive, than to waste energy being resentful.
10) Live in the moment: don’t feel bad about what’s gone on in the past- you can’t change it now. Everything happens for a reason and having unfortunate things fired at you is just the universe’s way of making you a better person. You also have no control over the past, once it has happened, so live life in the present and overcome the challenges that life hands you.
11) Take care of yourself, then help others: you can’t love people before loving yourself. You’ve got to embrace self love and a positive attitude towards yourself before you help anyone else effectively.
12) Bring the outside in: put a bunch of flowers in your workspace. Any brightly coloured natural thing is said to make almost anyone happy - even dandelions! We get lovely spring flowers now, it is the perfect opportunity to bring the outside in.
13) Indulge and treat yourself occasionally: without going too mad on the chocolate or sweets, however good they may be, it is nice to have treats occasionally. Sugar is also said to boost energy when learning or working. You could use these treats to motivate you: have a small chocolate bar after you’ve finished your school work.
14) Make a stay-at-home-bucket list: ambitions or goals really help boost your confidence. Make a list of what you want to do. Surprise yourself with a new hobby or skill. You can tick each thing off as you do it and by the end of this isolation period, you’ll feel fulfilled and accomplished. Alongside this, keep a jar where you can pop in scraps of paper listing the things you'll do once all of this is over!
15) Listen to music: music has the ability to make people feel a range of different emotions. If you’re feeling down, just put on some happy tunes to brighten your mood! Also, it is proven that by shutting off one of your senses, it helps widen another. So, whilst listening to music, close your eyes and focus on the melody.
16) Help out: help around the house wherever possible and spread some kindness and joy. A cleaner living space is proven to make your mind clearer and so why not take it upon yourself to do some housework and help out with the chores? Baking, I find, is particularly good for not only expanding your skills but helping you maintain your happy thoughts.
17) Spend less time on your phone: don’t waste free time by going on your phone unnecessarily. It can be quite antisocial and putting it away gives you a chance to engage in new hobbies and activities that might just become your new passion - not to mention spending quality time with your family.
18) Smile: this can help reduce stress and lower heart rate in stressful situations.
19) Read a good book or watch TV: this can also help to reduce stress. The Netflix survey 2013 said that 73 percent of viewers who stream their favourite feel-good shows feel positive, and research has shown that reading for just 6 minutes a day can help reduce stress levels by 68 percent.
20) When something goes wrong, fix it: don’t sit in the corner of your room crying because something’s not going right. Everything we do wrong is a lesson and it just helps us to improve. Take a step back and look at the situation, try to figure out a solution, and if you’re still struggling, ask for help.
21) Find humour where you can - not always easy in difficult times or moment of worry or embarrassment - but humour is a great sanity saver. It turns something negative into a positive, which is always good.
22) Do something you know you’re good at: this can give you a sense of achievement and boost your emotional wellbeing.
23) Get enough sleep: just because we don’t have to get up as early the next day doesn’t mean that you should go to bed exceptionally late. You need to rest your body and your mind, so that you can feel revived the next day.
24) Communicate! Talking things through with people can help take the weight of your burdens off your shoulders.
25) If you begin to feel down and a bit drab, take control and go out of your way to do something proactive: go for a run, a walk, do a painting, load the dishwasher, make your parent a cup of tea. Even the smallest actions can make you feel motivated.
Alice Cronin, Year 8
All these tips are important. They are also not in any particular order. Follow them wisely!
1) Stay committed: give yourself a time schedule and stick to it. Routine is important and you don’t want to slip out of good habits.Being productive will give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of your isolated day.
2) Be grateful for everything every day: don’t focus on all the bad vibes coming your way. Stay happy and don’t lose your manners and positivity, just because it is a hard time.
3) Don’t stress out: just be prepared. Make a mental list about what you need to do to make your life comfortable and safe, and do your best to achieve these things.
4) Keep connected: right now, we need each other more than anything else. Happiness is contagious so spread some love and happiness through a text or a call! Scientists have said that face-to-face video calls are almost as effective as real human contact. Use them!
5) Go out in nature: being out in nature and looking up at the sky and the beautiful canopy of trees can really boost your mental wellbeing, and many experts have recommended it.
6) Stay positive: don’t focus on the negative things all the time - don't keep checking the news - always look on the bright side of life and consider all the positive outcomes.
7) Don’t multitask: as tempting as it is, don’t hop between lessons because it will just take longer overall, rather than if you schedule your day. It will also make you feel burnt out and there will be too many things going on.
8) Balance work with life: if you work too hard you will become burnt out; equally if you spend all of your time on Facetime with your friends and procrastinating, you’ll fall behind. Find a balance that works for you. Don’t overwork yourself, and don’t waste time either.
9) Don’t hold grudges or get into pointless strife: there are larger problems in the world than some petty argument. Take every day as a new day and try to turn over a new leaf. It’s easier to forget and forgive, than to waste energy being resentful.
10) Live in the moment: don’t feel bad about what’s gone on in the past- you can’t change it now. Everything happens for a reason and having unfortunate things fired at you is just the universe’s way of making you a better person. You also have no control over the past, once it has happened, so live life in the present and overcome the challenges that life hands you.
11) Take care of yourself, then help others: you can’t love people before loving yourself. You’ve got to embrace self love and a positive attitude towards yourself before you help anyone else effectively.
12) Bring the outside in: put a bunch of flowers in your workspace. Any brightly coloured natural thing is said to make almost anyone happy - even dandelions! We get lovely spring flowers now, it is the perfect opportunity to bring the outside in.
13) Indulge and treat yourself occasionally: without going too mad on the chocolate or sweets, however good they may be, it is nice to have treats occasionally. Sugar is also said to boost energy when learning or working. You could use these treats to motivate you: have a small chocolate bar after you’ve finished your school work.
14) Make a stay-at-home-bucket list: ambitions or goals really help boost your confidence. Make a list of what you want to do. Surprise yourself with a new hobby or skill. You can tick each thing off as you do it and by the end of this isolation period, you’ll feel fulfilled and accomplished. Alongside this, keep a jar where you can pop in scraps of paper listing the things you'll do once all of this is over!
15) Listen to music: music has the ability to make people feel a range of different emotions. If you’re feeling down, just put on some happy tunes to brighten your mood! Also, it is proven that by shutting off one of your senses, it helps widen another. So, whilst listening to music, close your eyes and focus on the melody.
16) Help out: help around the house wherever possible and spread some kindness and joy. A cleaner living space is proven to make your mind clearer and so why not take it upon yourself to do some housework and help out with the chores? Baking, I find, is particularly good for not only expanding your skills but helping you maintain your happy thoughts.
17) Spend less time on your phone: don’t waste free time by going on your phone unnecessarily. It can be quite antisocial and putting it away gives you a chance to engage in new hobbies and activities that might just become your new passion - not to mention spending quality time with your family.
18) Smile: this can help reduce stress and lower heart rate in stressful situations.
19) Read a good book or watch TV: this can also help to reduce stress. The Netflix survey 2013 said that 73 percent of viewers who stream their favourite feel-good shows feel positive, and research has shown that reading for just 6 minutes a day can help reduce stress levels by 68 percent.
20) When something goes wrong, fix it: don’t sit in the corner of your room crying because something’s not going right. Everything we do wrong is a lesson and it just helps us to improve. Take a step back and look at the situation, try to figure out a solution, and if you’re still struggling, ask for help.
21) Find humour where you can - not always easy in difficult times or moment of worry or embarrassment - but humour is a great sanity saver. It turns something negative into a positive, which is always good.
22) Do something you know you’re good at: this can give you a sense of achievement and boost your emotional wellbeing.
23) Get enough sleep: just because we don’t have to get up as early the next day doesn’t mean that you should go to bed exceptionally late. You need to rest your body and your mind, so that you can feel revived the next day.
24) Communicate! Talking things through with people can help take the weight of your burdens off your shoulders.
25) If you begin to feel down and a bit drab, take control and go out of your way to do something proactive: go for a run, a walk, do a painting, load the dishwasher, make your parent a cup of tea. Even the smallest actions can make you feel motivated.
Alice Cronin, Year 8