Having too much time on your hands can be dangerous as we can be our own worst enemy after all! 

Here are five traps to avoid when in lockdown.

• Overthinking
• High expectations 
• Avoidance 
• Catastrophising
• Beating yourself up

Overthinking 

Your anxiety levels will go through the roof with the endless roads of where this could go. Protect your emotional energy from overthinking as it will drain you as you try and be prepared for every eventuality. 

Tip – Give yourself a time limit to have your thoughts and gradually reduce the time you spend overthinking. Use the extra time for something that brings you joy.  For example, I will allow myself 5 minutes to overthink and then next week I will allow myself 4mins 30seconds to overthink and take 30seconds to picture my favourite holiday destination. Aim to replace your overthinking time with something that gives you joy.

High Expectations

Don’t soak yourself with a ‘should’ shower. I should be the best home schooler, I should have my house spic and span, I should come out fluent in Russian. Surrender to your shoulds, admit defeat and then focus on what you want to do. 

Tip – Write down all the things you say you should do. Decide what tasks you want to keep and rewrite them using the word want, bin the shoulds that are putting unnecessary pressure on you and finally add anything you want to do that’s missing. Refocus on your new want list! 

Avoidance

Equally don’t avoid things that need doing! Get in that shower and change out of your PJs (even if it is into another pair of PJs!) Recognise how you are feeling and talk about it. Allow others to express their feelings without being interrupted, don’t try and pretend nothing has changed. 

Tip – Allow each person in the house/on a call 5mins of uninterrupted time to talk through their thoughts/feelings of lockdown and see how it feels to have the space to download.

Catastrophising

Don’t live in absolute despair – it’s exhausting. If you find everything hopeless and helpless you will lose motivation to get through the day. Look for perspective when small things go wrong i.e. missing the bins as you don’t know what day it is, it’s annoying yes but it’s easily resolved and isn’t a sign of the state of your life.

Tip – When something happens ask yourself – How serious is this between 1-10? What is the consequence of this? How easily can it be resolved?

Beating yourself up

There is no right or wrong way through this. You will have days where you feel low and bored with everything and that is ok. Being kind to yourself is essential because only then can you be kind to those around you. There is no blueprint on what you are supposed to be doing or feeling but know that you are experiencing this in a way that is true to you and you are doing a great job, you will get through this.

Tip – Every morning say, out loud, three things you like about yourself. Why not get the family involved and boost everyone’s self-image.