Mantras for (getting back to) Daily Life

Now that life is starting to open up again, with many people back at work and some children back in school, we all need to be ready to resume our daily lives again.

Over the last few weeks, some of us have got used to shorter working days, or being at home, furloughed; some have been home-schooling, getting used to having their kids with them all day; others have still been out at work, but in more challenging or different circumstances than normal.

With all of us keen to get our lives back to something approaching normality, there is still a need to stay alert and take precautions. But we have to also step up and be brave, and take some calculated risks to get back out there in the world.

I think many of us also hope we can cling onto some of the joys of this lockdown period. For me, having more time at both ends of the day – by working shorter hours, and the absence of travelling for meetings - have been wonderful. I’ve loved spending more time outside, and more time enjoying my home.

So, we need to prepare ourselves mentally for this new stage, as it will mean quite a considerable change for many of us. Here are some mantras to help us embrace this next stage, as daily life starts to resume:

I am brave. I move forwards with confidence

You may be anxious about being out in the word again, or your children being in school; or your friends being back in the workplace. But we can’t stay locked in forever. We need to step up and take a calculated risk, to get back out there. Say this mantra to yourself, to summon those feelings of courage.

You’re strong. You’re capable. You got this!

We have survived the difficult days of lockdown. Now, there is a different question being asked of us: can we step up, be brave, and re-engage with life and people, albeit in a socially distanced way? Of course we can!

Today, I will breathe deeper. Exhale slower. Find the stillness within me

A great calming mantra, if you find the return to a busier form of life a little stressful at first. Slow down your breathing, and find that still, quiet part of yourself that is hidden deep inside, unaffected by the anxiety around you.

I trust in new beginnings

Has the pause of lockdown enabled you to look at your life differently? Maybe you have had to, through redundancy, reduced hours or a change of role. Over time, can you see this as the chance for a positive new start? 

What do I need right now, to flourish?

What did you learn from the lockdown? Can you hang onto any positives that made you feel good, and make sure they stay in your life? What is you need, to be at your best?

Stay true to what inspires you

Did you discover or re-discover a passion or interest in lockdown? Something that excited, inspired or motivated you? Don’t lose it now! Find a way of incorporating it into your new life, to keep that spark of inspiration alive and well.

In my words, thoughts and actions, I choose kindness

People will each react differently to the relaxation of lockdown rules. Some will find it genuinely hard to leave their homes and go back to work, as they have felt safe in their own worlds; others will rejoice at the new-found freedom. Some will obey social distancing instinctively; others will crowd you, without thinking. Some will have lost people dear to them, so will worry even more about the risks.

All we can each do is be kind, be thoughtful, be understanding. You don’t know what they went through, or what is happening in their heads and hearts right now, so always – be kind.

True wellbeing lies within me

Some of us will catch coronavirus through bad luck, or circumstances beyond our control. How severely we get it, and how our bodies react to it, may also be down to chance, or something that we can’t change, such as our age. However, there is increasing evidence that the healthier and fitter we are – in terms of our weight, blood sugar levels and lung capacity – the more able we may be to fight the virus. Never has this mantra been more true – that we have the ability to influence our future wellbeing, by the choices we make today.

I hope we are through the worst of the crisis, and entering a new normal. I hope we enter this phase feeling brave, self-confident and eager, whilst remaining alert and sensible; and I hope we can all embrace a kind and sensitive approach to others, and a better understanding of ourselves and what makes us happy.

Jo xx