Ways to stay sane during lockdown

For the love of Mother Earth. Photo by Desanka Vukelich.

For the love of Mother Earth.

While there’s plenty to throw us off balance into a ravine of fear, it’s crucial to remember that we always have full control over how we feel.  

In lockdown here in Melbourne, I’m having good days and bad, feeling alternately happy-go-lucky, like screaming in frustration, and having a good cry to relieve the stress of it all.

A friend asked me this week what’s helping me get through the bad days. Here’s what I shared with her. I hope they help you.

  • Move your body. This helps shift my energy from dissolving into panic to regaining a sense of control. I’ve found deep cleaning, culling my wardrobe, practising yoga and daily walks with a friend or in nature deeply nourishing.

  • Massage your feet. Put on some soothing tunes and give your feet a good rub. We store a lot of stress and tension in our feet, so it helps flush all that out by sending them a fresh flow of oxygen.

  • Watch or listen to comedy. Laughing. One of life’s great healing pleasures.

  • Meditate. I’ve found Jasmine Hemsley’s sound baths a most soothing way to unwind before bed, bringing back lush full deep breaths.

  • Boost your immunity. Take zinc, Vitamin C, magnesium etc. and eat well. We’re far less likely to catch a cold let alone anything more serious when we have a strong immune system. Things like sugar deplete us of vital minerals, so easing up on sweets will help enormously.

  • Take a bath if you have one. Always soothing. I add lavender and rose geranium essential oils, which help even more to relax. When I pull the plug, I imagine all my tension going down the drain, too.

  • Masturbate and/or have sex. Not only great fun but great stress relief!

  • Dance! I got right into some Earth, Wind and Fire the other day. Brilliant!

  • Sing! My tummy felt intermittently tumultuous all day, but I found singing along to ‘Islands in the Stream’, which I came across through work today, helped hugely!

  • Dress up! My trackies and I need to spend some time apart. I’m feeling better simply by wearing more colour, be it in a pretty dress, scarf or beanie.

  • Talk to your loved ones. Reach out to them, and listen when they call you. We provide much nurturing, more so than we realise.

  • Talk to your guides, be they God, Jesus, Mother Mary, your ancestors, angels, or in whom or whatever you find spiritual comfort and safety. We can go directly to the divine source of everything, anytime, and nestle there.

  • Be kind to yourself, no matter what. It’s okay to have ups and downs, at any time, let alone now. Look after your precious self with the gentleness you’d show a baby.

I love our human family. We’re always evolving, always learning, always growing in compassion and recognition of our capacity to help and heal ourselves and each other.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Desanka Vukelich