We’ve been here before. It’s all too familiar. Scrolling through news sites each morning looking at numbers and projections. Hearing of restrictions, of close contacts, of new exposure sites. We revert to our techniques of our last lockdown and adopt what worked well to support us and avoid what did not to a greater degree. A common consequence of lockdown is a feeling of fatigue, or lower mood as our day-to-day is disrupted, and our level of connectedness is reduced. The tedium of another lockdown can be de-energising.
So how do we keep ourselves up during lockdown?
Start with cultivating compassion
Compassion involves exercising sensitivity towards others’ circumstances and acting to support them. It moves beyond empathy, where we are standing in the shoes of another, and moves us to a state where we act to support. The support may be as simple as offering a smile, a listening ear, or an enquiring text. Being compassionate towards others during lockdown recognises that we are all enduring less than optimal conditions, some more than others. Being sensitive towards this present state and acting to support others within it, creates a compassionate stance, which can lift people up during lockdown.
So how do you do it?
Reach out. So much good can come from connecting with others. Sending a text message, voicemail, email, or phone call can lift someone’s spirits considerably. Knowing that others have thought of you in a positive compassionate way can be ever so supportive and provide a sense of relatedness. It’s such an easy thing to do, and so impactful for someone who is feeling down. Check-in and let them know you care. This act of kindness and compassion will also boost your positive emotional state, benefitting your wellbeing.
Be patient with others. We are all enduring altered working and living conditions. Our preferred working conditions have changed, and as much as we are trying to move with these new (yet familiar) changes, it may impact our productivity. Everyone is responding differently to lockdown with varied home environments, which may or may not be conducive to their effectiveness. Pause before you react harshly or with impatience when people don’t meet your work expectations. Be patient and understanding of the impact of these changes and consider how things can be reprioritized, reallocated or re-resourced to support an individual who may be struggling with their obligations. This act of compassion can lift teammates up during lockdown.
Listen and coach for solutions – hear what is challenging for your family/friend/colleague/neighbour and help them discover options which can assist them with navigating these challenges. Be mentally present with them so that they feel heard and valued in that moment. Everyone has differing experiences and environments to contend with; some easier to deal with than others. Be mindful of this, as your own personal experience may not be the answer for those facing different circumstances. Work with them to discover what is right for them.
Exercise self-compassion – notice how you are supporting and helping others and turn your attention to yourself! Be kind and compassionate to your own circumstances and offer and take your own advice; the advice which you would be sharing with others. That means not expecting yourself to be as you were when you were not in lockdown. Allow yourself some freedom to adjust your expectations of what you can or can’t do during lockdown. Keep it real and don’t overburden yourself with unrealistic expectations. Recognise what is in your control, and what is outside of it to assist with applying realistic thinking to frame your cognitions, and emotional state.
Offer gratitude – research shows that exercising gratitude lifts your positive emotional state. It builds optimism, which allows you to broaden your thinking and be more creative when solving complex problems; lockdown being one of them. Listen to your self-talk with compassion and alter your language. Change those things that ’you’ve got to do’, to those things that ‘you get to do’. This reframing can embrace gratitude for what life currently offers you and provides a positive choice. For instance, instead of saying ‘I’ve got to help my kids with their schooling’, you can express gratitude by reframing it as, ‘I get to help my kids with their schooling’, which embraces the positive opportunity it brings. Try it on the many things you’ve got to do and see whether it helps to reposition how you feel. Mindful attention to what you are grateful for will help you alter your perspective.
Be community minded – get vaccinated. Where your medical conditions allow, book yourself in and get vaxxed to live life to the max! Your act will be supportive of those who too want to lift out of lockdown and live a fuller life.
We’re all in this together. Exercising compassion can lift us up during lockdown and be the simple gift we can give ourselves and each other.