You know when you’re scrolling through the weather app and it gives a ‘chance of rain’ percentage and ‘possible rainfall’ millimetres measure? A good way of processing this when leaving your house is to think of it as: do I need a brolly, and what shoes should I wear? So a 100% chance of say 10mm of rain is…yes, I’d best take a brolly and put on my wellies.
I shoehorn this quite interesting, but really quite poor, metaphor in to how it feels watching the daily Coronavirus news cycle – you’re hoping for fine weather but fearing the worst with every new case announced. When I leave the house can I go more than 5km, and can I see friends?
It turns out that once again we can’t. And so to lockdown 6.0 in Victoria and that sense of foreboding and anxiety we’re so familiar with here, and that our brethren in the other states are unfortunately experiencing too.
The good news is that the vaccines seem to be working and while the rollout is slow, it is progressing. One day we will be through it and better times are ahead.
The bad news is that these ongoing lockdowns really mess with your equilibrium and the ongoing anxiety and distress is something we all need to watch for in one another.
So with that in mind, let’s revisit the lockdown tips in our previous article from July last year:
- Maintain a routine – get up, shower, do your teeth, get dressed, have an argument with your kids about schoolwork. Whatever works for you…
- Keep a healthy diet – but recognise that some foods/drinks may be dreadful, but will make you feel just lovely.
- Vary your activities – I think this means actual interests and hobbies rather than just switching between TV shows. Perhaps it means finally getting around to doing those jobs you’ve been putting off such as sorting out your finances (give us a call if we can help).
- Talk to people – it doesn’t matter that there’s little personal news to talk about, it’s great being in contact with friends and loved ones. As Ronan Keating said last time we chatted (he didn’t and we haven’t) ‘you say it best when you say nothing at all’.
- Use social media – to stay connected to family and friends with photos and messages and the like.
- Don’t use social media – to engage in a Twitter argument until 2am every night (and perhaps pare back on your news stream each day while you’re at it).
- Dress for your day – occasionally when you go out in public take your Ugg Boots off and pop on a pair of shoes.
- Follow the health guidelines – it’ll help us suppress the virus and get us out of this mess quicker.
- Get outside and move – we’re all nicer for a bit of fresh air.
- Cut yourself some slack – if it all falls over today, brush yourself off and start again tomorrow.
We’re learning more about the psychological costs of lockdown, in addition to all the social and economic costs but if you are struggling through, remember that you’re not alone. And if you need more than reaching out to family and friends, there are great organisations out there such as Beyond Blue and Lifeline.
Be kind to yourselves, one another and stay safe.
Simon Briggs is a Director at Keep Wealth Partners.
Keep Wealth Partners Pty Ltd (AFSL 494858). This information is of a general nature only and may not reflect our views.
