By Greg Thurston
Creator of Seven Minute Mindfulness

It’s easy to get sucked in to a cycle of reading the news, social media, and Netflix… but too much is really not going to help.

Take some time to plan out your days… thinking about what you want to do and setting times for it.

Plan a good morning routine to get you started off on the right foot. A healthy breakfast, meditation, journaling, and reading something uplifting are a great start and set the tone for the day.

If you’re working from home, write down your task list of WHAT you want to do and WHEN… with regular breaks scheduled.

If you live with other people, discuss your schedule with them, and encourage them to create their own. Ultimately this will help everyone in the house to deal with the challenges ahead.

Exercise is vital for our physical and mental health, and it’s never been so important as right now.

Figure out what works for you… your own workout routine, throwing a ball, yoga, dancing…

Get creative and figure out a few good ideas that you can do from home.

This week, someone in France completed a full marathon on his seven meter balcony… that’s around 6 thousand laps!

We’ve been inventing our own volleyball-inspired games inside our apartment, and doing Les Mills gym classes online (think kickboxing, body weight workouts, and dance classes).

We’re all being forced into a tough situation, but it can have some positives.

Maybe there’s some goal or idea you always wanted to pursue. Set half an hour or so on your daily schedule, and give it a go!

Build that website you’ve always been thinking about, learn a language, get artistic, plant some seeds, or learn to play guitar!

I’ve personally been learning to juggle 4 balls (it’s a work in process), and practicing Spanish.

If you’re working from home, doing something UNRELATED to work is a great way to add variety to your day.

We all need to practice patience now, so why not broaden your horizons and use the time to explore something new!

We all need to be proactive and boost our immunity, so make sure you’re eating plenty of good food that will help your body.

Stay hydrated, and give your body plenty of the vitamins and nutrients it needs.

My go to foods at the moment include coconut water, berries, avocado, kiwifruit, oranges, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, berries, beans, garlic, ginger, honey and lemon.

Eating well is going to boost your immunity, plus you’ll feel better mentally and physically when you feed your body with good fuel.

If you need some inspiration, checkout my previous post for immunity boosting recipe ideas.

In Spain we’re pretty close to the health system collapsing… a friend is currently in hospital getting his treatment from a chair because there just isn’t enough beds for everyone, and the stories from health workers are pretty grim.

Yet we’re still hearing about people flouting the rules and going to the beach, etc.

This situation develops very quickly, and the sooner we slow the spread, the sooner we can get back to real life and recover.

So please follow the instructions. Practice social distancing, stay at home if you can, wash your hands, and respect whatever else the authorities are instructing in your area.

Be patient with yourself and others.

This is an unprecedented time in recent history. We’re all going to face difficult moments and people are going to behave differently.

So be compassionate with yourself and others, practice self-awareness, and give yourself space if you need it.

This can be a great learning moment to explore new dimensions of care and understanding in your relationships – with yourself and others

Sometimes, music just makes everything better.

Music can be a game-changer as a background while you work, to shift the mood when things get tough, to add a new dimension to dinner time, or to wind down in bed at the end of the day.

We’re social animals, and we crave interaction.

Being stuck inside is the perfect opportunity to reach out to friends and family…

To check on each other, to get other perspectives, to support each other, and simply catchup.

Talk to those people who lift you up and make you feel great.

We have a plethora of options nowadays with Skype, Facebook calling, and the good old telephone.

Practice meditation, mindfulness, goal setting, affirmations, and journaling.

Each one of us is going to face different struggles, and this situation is putting us through tests that we would have never imagined a year ago…

Taking active steps to maintain your mental wellbeing will make an enormous difference. So schedule time every day for self-care, and stick to it.

This crisis may just be the catalyst for positive self-growth

Be well,
Greg Thurston