Just as we started to hope for a better future and for light at the end of this endless dark tunnel, our beliefs have been broken by a new lockdown. Obviously, this announcement has most likely increased our disappointment, confusion and skepticism. Apparently, it might have born anger and furiousness in some of us as our ability to tolerate the difficulty of the situation has reached its limit. We have all been resilient, but as humans we are also vulnerable and emotional. We should accept that it is difficult and start developing empathy to ourselves.  

Let us introduce some simple tips, which will help you to get through this challenging time.  

 Don’t make big plans or set unachievable goals  

It’s important to be realistic. We all have ambitions and it’s hard to accept that now we cannot move forward or set clear goals.  But may be instead of torturing yourself it would be more appropriate at the moment to put a tick next to each little achievement. If you still brush your teeth twice per day, take vitamins, do your morning stretching, manage to control your food and alcohol consumption, go for a walk every day then put a tick and be proud of yourself. Learn to respect yourself for these little achievements! They are your everyday little goals but by reaching them you could achieve some satisfaction and the acceptance of reality. 

 Stay aware 

 You should always keep in mind that you are not on your own. There are millions of other people like you who are stuck in the same situation. Some of them might feel lonely, sad, depressed and some of them are struggling to accept the current changes. When we realize that we are not the only humans, who want to be happy and healthy or simply miss seeing our family, then we feel supported. We feel unity with others who are facing the same difficulties as us.  

 Be empathic to yourself 

It’s worth mentioning empathy again and what we could do to practice it towards ourselves. First of all, it’s vital to accept all our emotions and contemplate their origins. To do so, you can simply start by writing a few pages every morning, just about everything. Even if it seems stupid just allow yourself to put it onto paper and let it go. Another tool is drawing, Identify what you feel and draw it. Draw your fears, disappointment or tiredness. Don’t worry about what you are drawing - do it unconsciously without any logical thinking. It should be based purely on your emotions.   

 Don’t feel guilty 

 We might also be feeling guilty now that we don't do enough or don't live our full life. We cannot meet our friends, go to theatre or cinema, visit museums or go on holiday, yet thanks to our digital world we can do lots of this online. We can watch educational programmes, visit online exhibitions, video call our family and friends or study a new language. In addition, now we have a great deal of time for just reading our banal paper books.

 Take care of yourself 

Taking extra care of yourself is crucially important at the moment. We might feel imbalanced or unusually volatile now due to constant negative news, bad weather and being stuck at home. And it is normal. So why not just try sitting with your eyes closed and observing your breathing. Focus on different parts of your body and try to find whether actually your anxiety, distress or fear is settled. Try to imagine how it looks, may be the colour it has and the shape. Try to talk to it and you will understand that it is not the whole of you. It is just a part of you and it is temporal.