Currently most of us are spending a lot of downtime at home which is so different to our usual fast paced lives. We are spending a lot of extra time staring at screens, snacking, sleeping and for some of us not being very productive at all.
This can definitely take a toll on our mental health, most of us get a kick out of achieving daily tasks such as; nailing that work presentation, hitting a PB at the gym or even checking off your daily ‘to do’ list at work. All of these small daily achievements make us feel self validated and without this our mental health can start to slip. With out our daily ‘kicks’ our days at home can start to feel like they just roll into each other so it is important to recognise when this trend begins and act!
Here are some iso activities that will set you up for a productive day at home of happy moods and clear thinking!
1. Get dressed! Get out of your pyjamas by an agreed time! Have a shower and get dressed even if its just in workout gear or a fresh pair of track pants make yourself some what presentable. This will give you a sense of preparation for the day and the ability to step outside your front door at any moment without having the excuse of ‘I am in my PJs’.
2. Make a ‘to do’ list! Just because you are not physically at work there is no reason as to why you can not make a home check list or if your working from home a work from home check list. Lists give you accountability and as you check each task off you get that ‘kick’ that we are after, that self validation which will make you feel good! Get creative too, if your not working at the moment think of a job that you have been putting off around the house? Pop that on your list and get it done! Cleaning out the fridge is a great one or sorting through your wardrobe, rearranging furniture, painting a wall, doing some weeding or even just giving the dog a bath!
3. Exercise! You have heard it before and I will say it again, exercise is THE BEST thing for boosting your mood, after a workout you always feel liberated! Tired, but liberated! You are proud of yourself because you gave the workout a go, worked up a sweat and you know its good for you, you cant go wrong! Exercise has also been proven to do wonders for your mental health so the proof is in the pudding, no excuses! Chuck on your runners, google a home workout and get moving! We have offered all our members at Spartans a home workout program – if you would like to take advantage of this offer please email membercare@spartansgym.com
4. Do a kind act. A ‘good deed’ goes further than in the moment. Doing a kind act for someone else keeps you in the ‘laws of exchange’. Staying in the laws of exchange makes you feel good, giving you a mood boost! By you doing a kind deed for someone else, often enough the person doing the act for the other gets a bigger kick, seeing someone else happy makes you happy! Kind deeds that you could do at home: Cook dinner for your household, donate even just a small amount of money to a charity, offer to do your elderly neighbours grocery shopping, take your neighbours bins out/in, send a friend a kind letter in the mail, call and check in on your Parents, Grandparents or a friend. These are simple tasks that anyone can do for others while at home that will not only make someone else feel good it will make you feel amazing too! #moodboosted
Remember, we are at home now but it will not last forever! Before we know it we will be back to our busy lives and hectic daily schedules when ‘boredom’ is a word that is not found in our vocabularies anymore. Use this time to re-charge, get the jobs around the house done, enjoy time with your loved ones and make a plan of how you are going to concur the rest of the year! #weareallinthistogether