Over a quarter of the world’s population is now under some form of lockdown. Governments around the world are advising their citizens to stay indoors, avoid unnecessary social contact and only leave the house for necessary activities. The aim is to control the Covid-19 virus by limiting the infection rate and ease the pressure on medical staff whilst a vaccine is being developed.
The lockdown has however brought its own challenges. The lack of social interaction from friends, families and work colleagues has created a void in people’s mental and physical well-being – which could’ve been a source of relief in these difficult times. Social interaction and a sense of purpose often take centrefold in our lives mostly for pleasure but it actually has a deeper effect on us.
Research by the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour on the physical and mental effects of social distancing showed there was a correlation between lower social ties and a host of conditions from autoimmune disorders, slower wound healing and a reduction in our mental health.
Delving further in the work by Debra Umberson and Jennifer Karas Montez; “Social isolation of otherwise healthy, well-functioning individuals eventually results in psychological and physical disintegration, and even death. Over the past few decades, social scientists have gone beyond evidence of extreme social deprivation to demonstrate a clear link between social relationships and health in the general population. Adults who are more socially connected are healthier and live longer than their more isolated peers.”
“A clear link between social relationships and health in the general population. Adults who are more socially connected are healthier and live longer than their more isolated peers“
Debra Umberson and Jennifer Karas Montez; Journal of Health and Social Behaviour
We all enjoy the weekends and the odd days off from our busy lives. We kick back, unwind and sometimes just lounge around the house without a care in the world. This helps us clear our minds, refresh our souls and allow our body to recuperate.
However, it is just as much as the opposite side of the coin which equally keeps us ticking over and happy. We let ourselves rest so we can reinvigorate ourselves to achieve our goals, we make sure to enjoy our time off so that our minds can stay sharp and we catch a breather from the world so that we can recharge our energy to bring joy to others and help those in need.
The aim of this article is to make sure we keep the momentum in our lives and not allow this isolation to impede our motivations and goals we want to achieve.
MAINTAINING YOUR ROUTINE
Boring! Is that the first thought that enters your mind when you hear this word? Whether or not we acknowledge it we all have routines that we perform every day. It primes our body and keeps our mind focused. From brushing our teeth in the morning signalling the day has begun to eating dinner at night which tells our mind to start winding down.
Dr Steve Orma, a clinical psychologist who specialised in treating anxiety and stress says “Routine also helps with stress … Create a set schedule for doing chores, work tasks, meetings, exercise, paying bills, and all the usual things you need to do. Put these into your schedule. Once this becomes your normal routine, it’s easier to accomplish everything, because it becomes habit.”
Keeping a routine will ensure your life isn’t affected by a lockdown. Being at home is synonymous with comfort, but during a lockdown we can’t let this run amok on our wellbeing. We’ve all developed a lot of good habits over time and sure on our days off we go easy on the rules we place upon ourselves. Perhaps it’s a more indulgent breakfast we enjoy on the weekends or whether it’s the chance to just stay in our pjs the whole day; we should definitely carry on this happiness – but only on the days which are truly our ‘off days’.
Binge watching our favourite shows online for hours is something we all do but with more time being spent indoors we need to make sure we take those regular breaks from staring at screens – whether that’s for enjoyment or work. Keeping our routine also means we carry on doing the everyday tasks we did to separate the different responsibilities during the day. This could be from making sure we change out of our pjs (even though we might not be going anywhere) to eating the right (and healthy) meals at the right time.
If you find yourself drifting too much and ‘relaxing’ during this lockdown then perhaps a daily ‘to do list’ is your best bet (I personally use ColorNote Notepad Notes on my phone). This will keep you accountable to yourself as well as recognising any specific areas you leave to do till the last minute.
Everybody still has their lives to live and keeping our daily routine is the anchor that will make this lockdown as productive and stress free as possible.
DEVELOPING YOUR DEEN
Some of us will be off schools and universities whilst others may be off work or be working from home – one thing we all have in common is the removal of our travel time. We suddenly have a few extra minutes in our day which on average is 1hr.
Staying productive during lockdown means we should take advantage of this time. This could be used to learn a new hobby, why not make this hobby to increase your deen? Let’s all reflect on where we feel we can improve our deen and slowly work on this during this extra time gained.
This doesn’t have to be a drastic change and no one should tell you what to improve but yourself. Reflect upon yourself honestly and see where you want to improve on, what do you feel you’ve dropped or want to pick up.
One example could be if you’ve found yourself missing prayers during the day. Set some alarms on your phone to remind you to start developing regular prayers whilst at home. Another example could be the lack of reading time you give to the Quran. Perhaps use that one hour with seeing how much you can read whilst also trying to understand the translations.
With less than a month till Ramadan (see the Ramadan countdown in the sidebar to remind yourself how long left!) we can should try and get ourselves in the right frame of mind mentally and spiritually for the blessed month.
A great illustration of trying to improve your deen one step at a time is what The Rogue Muslim has been discussing in her podcasts. The Rogue Muslim has been popping on the podcast scene for quite some time now and has recently started a series on self-improvement. She openly talks about areas of her deen she wants to improve upon and then tackles them in bitesize tasks. Her fortnightly podcast discusses the challenges and emotions she comes across when tackling her goals. It’s refreshing to listen to someone speak so honestly about their emotions and their journey on improving their deen. You can follow her podcast here.
Another great podcast I follow is hosted by The Young and Muslim which was started by Djibril Salam and Muhammed Hasan from the States. Hearing the view and opinions they share is a great motivation and uplifting podcast to listen to as they cover a range of topics. Personally I feel it’s the chemistry between them that makes them such a joy to listen. You can listen to their podcast here.
By taking inspiration from The Rogue Muslim and The Young and Muslim podcasts we can reflect upon our deen and understand that the struggle for self-improvement is a common feeling for everyone. By listening as well as sharing your goals with family and friends we can prepare for Ramadan in a more spiritually tuned mindset.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
The impact of social isolation can affect any age. Our friends and family have kept us sane through the best of times as well as the most troubling of times.
Nothing beats the physical interaction and laughs that we have with our closest friends and whilst we can’t enjoy them for now, below are two apps that can help ameliorate the social isolation just a little.
Miss going to the cinema with friends? Are you one of those film watchers who just has to give their opinion on where the film is heading or plot twists you think you‘ve figured out? With Netflix Party you can now share the experience of watching the same film with friends whilst staying in your own homes.
Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension available for mobiles, tablets and computers that allows you to share whatever you’re watching at the same time; what’s more is that you can create a Netflix Party chatroom which lets you chat in real time to everyone in the group.
Another boredom buster app to enjoy with friends is Houseparty. This is an app that allows you to video chat with up to seven friends whilst also playing games, seeing their reactions in real time to when you win (or lose!) is sure to alleviate some of those social isolation effects. It can be downloaded on all major devices and operating systems.
Games and entertainment aside nothing will beat a good old fashion telephone call. There might not be much to update on in terms of personal lives but hearing familiar and friendly voices will help everyone get through this lockdown in a better state.
FOCUSING ON YOUR GOALS
We’ve all promised ourselves self-improvement goals or made new year resolutions to get our minds focused on what we want to improve. If you’re still on track in your goals then great, keep going! However, if you’ve fallen behind or find your motivation dipping then perhaps this is the time to reevaluate and reflect.
Right now there is nothing to distract you from achieving your goals. If you have fallen behind then this is the perfect time to take a step back and revaluate why. Was your goal too ambitious? Were there external factors that stopped you from achieving them? Have you found the timeframe you set is unrealistic? Dr Amir Emadian mentioned from his experience that clients only achieve their goals if the path they create is a slow but steady path.
This time though should also be used to congratulate yourself on what you have achieved. Analyse what were the factors that made you successful and look to incorporate them into other goals.
In essence the whole world has stopped and forced us to change our habits. It is the perfect time to anlayse if we are fulfilling our potential for a happier and fulfilling life. When the world inevitably starts again, we’ll be in a better place to achieve them.
MENTAL HEALTH
To be able to achieve any productivity during this lockdown we need to make sure our mental health is looked after. Every day we are glued to the news to listen to what the current state of the virus is in our respective countries. There will inevitably be distressing news that we will be told about and come across. Coming across statistics of deaths via social media and unfortunately some having people close to them passing away will take its toll on people.
Our bodies are in tune with the situation that is happening around us and it’s important to remember that we are not robots. As humans we feel the pain and emotions associated with sadness, grief and despair – yet are expected to carry on with our everyday lives. Our mental health is the first and last aspect we should be concerned about during this lockdown. In this last paragraph I want to point out some useful advice that Anxiety UK has shared and summarised helpfully via the acronym APPLE.
ACKNOWLEDGE – Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind.
PAUSE – Don’t react as you normally do. Don’t react at all. Just pause, and breathe.
PULL BACK – Tell yourself this is just the anxiety or depression talking, and this thought or feeling is only a thought or feeling. Don’t believe everything you think! Thoughts are not statements of fact.
LET GO – Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don’t have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud.
EXPLORE – Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, all is well. Notice your breathing, and the sensations of breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right NOW. Then, SHIFT YOUR FOCUS OF ATTENTION to something else – on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry, or do something else – mindfully, with your full attention.
Finally, an on-going personal goal of mine is completing an online course created by Yale University. The Science of Well-Being is a free online course taught by Professor Laurie Santos, it covers both scientifically proven techniques as well as real life examples on the subject of happiness. It is far from a boring lecture! In fact, it has become Yale University’s most popular class in its history! You can view the course on YouTube with the first session below:
Being in Lockdown means looking after yourself. It is only by looking after yourself that you will be able to look after others. The above techniques and ideas will inshAllah make this lockdown productive for all.
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