How To Stay Motivated

We are living uncertain times right now. Following the outbreak of Covid-19 life has overnight turned upside down. We have never been more aware of our own vulnerability, our own mortality and, more importantly, of all that we have so easily been taking for granted for so long. From popping to the shops, to meeting a friend, having dinner with family, heading to the gym, hugging, shaking hands, or even for many of us just doing our jobs. The virus has robbed us of our sense of purpose, our control and perhaps even financial security for those out of work. With no answers, no set time frame and an impending worldwide recession stampeding toward us, it is easy to lose motivation and get caught up in the tsunami of fear, panic and stress currently sweeping across the globe. So how do you stay motivated and keep your spirits high during lock down? Below we share some simple tips to help spread positivity in the most turbulent of times.

1) Keep a Gratitude Diary :

It is easy to lose sight of the things that we remain. If there's one thing that Coronavirus has taught us, it is to be appreciative of everything that we have, even the most mundane. So each night, assess your day, filter out the negative and log in your diary all the positives you can think of. Reflect on the blessings the day brought you: Perhaps you received a call from a friend? Maybe you had the time to cook a particularly delicious meal? Or did you spend more time with your spouse or children than normal? Watched a movie you always wanted to see? Made a start on that book you've had in the cupboard for years? Or even something as simple as being thankful for good health thus far and an able body. Dr Deepak Chopra outlined the benefits of gratitude, finding that amid his patients suffering from asymptomatic heart failure, those who kept an 8 week gratitude journal experienced better sleep, improved heart rate, decreased fatigue and less inflammation. Not only did they excel mentally, but their physiological improvements were ample. Finding bliss in the ordinary enables you to focus less on all that is lost and instead divert your energy to all that remains. It'll shift your mindset and alter your reaction to each situation.

2) Banish Screens Before Bed:

We already know that sleep is important to our health. But could you be sabotaging your sleep and offsetting your mood for the following day with how you get ready for your nights rest? Right before we close our eyes, many of us find ourselves flitting through the news on our phones or TVs, checking emails or even scrolling down our social media feeds. While this may seem totally harmless, without realising it, we are inviting negative energy into our resting space and into our minds, and this is potentially shaping how we wake up and the level of motivation we have the next day. Science has approached this theory and found that the glare of a screen delays our sleep inducing melatonin which is released by the pineal gland, thereby resetting your body's natural clock to a later time. So when you are wondering why you just can't get to sleep, tossing and turning hours after into getting in bed - you may have the culprit charging on your nightstand. This aside, reading of tragedies on the news, comparing what we are doing to what others are doing and reminding ourselves of all the interactions with people that we are missing out on, is no way to bring peace to our minds and prepare for another day. It may even be predisposing us to a bad mood upon waking! So in the hour before bed, expel phones from the bedroom and turn off the TV. Instead focus on positive thoughts (insert gratitude diary here), close your eyes and focus on breathing, run through a stretch routine, listen to calming music (ideally without lyrics i.e. there are plenty of Om frequency tracks on youtube, and even sleep playlists on spotify). Better quality sleep will reset your mind and elevate your energy the next day. Make the last thought before you sleep a soothing one.

3) Make a routine:

If you are someone who is used to a routine - like a consistent work timetable, a set time you go to the gym, a specific time you normally eat dinner, a daily walk or whatever your plan may be, then the change may be overwhelming. In the case of being out of work completely, having the entire day ahead with no plan at all and no structure can destroy motivation and discipline. For those of you working from home, working in what is also your leisure space can create a demoralising and claustrophobic environment detrimental to motivation. It is surprisingly easy to become a couch potato in response to sudden change, but once you establish routine again it can be equally easy to slip out of that mentality. You may therefore find it helpful to give yourself a bit of healthy pressure to take back some control. Wake up at the same time each day; make plans and organise your day from the night before or follow the same plan daily; set little alarms, tell those you live with of your intentions and book things into your calendar formally. For example, if you want to workout today decide a time, tell someone, write it in and make it something tangible (we are far less likely to back out of formalised plans or ones we have verbalised than ones set just in our own minds). Create a reminder just before the activity commences to give you time to mentally prepare or set up etc. Likewise, if you wanted to read a chapter of a book... set the alarm, book it in, write it, voice it, whatever works to solidify your intention. This will ensure that time doesn't run away with you and that the distractions that can eat up the majority of our day are chased away with the ringing alarm or the diary reminder. The future may be uncertain right now, but we can at least reclaim the present, take things day by day and adapt to our current situation as best as possible.

4) Spring Clean the Mind

Being present and still in the moment as opposed to worrying or obsessing about the future is key for a situation that is beyond our control. We didn't choose it, but we also can't change it so the only option is to accept it and find peace somehow. S how can you rid yourself from the accumulating mess in the mind? Meditation doesn't always have to mean sitting in a dark room, alone, cross legged, eyes closed and humming to yourself - there are plenty of options to make meditating accessible and enjoyable for you. There are plenty of resources available for guided meditations (try Jay Shetty's live guided meditation or the headspace app). Once you find one that works for you, meditation really can give you that 'post massage' lethargic but zen feeling. Think of meditation as wiping the slate clean, erasing and letting go of negative experiences so that you can be fresh and open to new ones; a way of releasing negativity and elevating your energy.

5) Laugh More

It may sound simple, but laughter has a healing power. The act of laughing has shown to have significant physiological impact (which includes improved immune function) as well as bringing about a psychological shift. The spontaneous release of energy and sudden burst of endorphins aids in reducing blood pressure, decreasing stress hormones, reducing muscular tension and discharging aggressive and/or aggressive pent up energy. Laughing can even improve the activity of NK cells which make you more resistant to disease. So the moral of the story here is... laugh more! Spend some time watching comedy, binging on some hilarious cat videos on youtube, playing games with love ones, telling jokes or whatever makes you laugh.

So there you have it... our 5 ways to stay uplifted amid the Corona Crisis! Remember that if you spend all your energy on your immediate emotional reaction, you'll have none left to create a logical solution. We can't control what happens but we can control how we respond and adapt to it.