The world changed in the beginning of 2020. By March, most countries had entered lockdowns and spent the spring in a sort of “new normal”, isolated from the rest of the world.
I’m not sure I really needed to intro that. You probably noticed!
But what happens to our well-being after our daily routines disappear? That’s the question I’ll try to expand on today.
In this post, I’ll offer my take on a solution to make sure we prioritise our mental and physical health whenever we’re faced with major lifestyle changes.
What Happens When Routines Disappear?
After a major lifestyle change like lockdown and social distancing, usually the first thing to go are our routines. Not just the voluntary routines like going for a walk after dinner or our wake-up routine.
After being told to stay at home, any routine that involved leaving the house to meet other people, whether at work, visiting friends or at the local pub seemed to disappear over night. Staying home just seemed like the right thing to do.
These social activities have all been replaced by their home-based equivalent: working from our sofas, calling up friends and after-work Zoom drinks.
Building New Routines
As a result of staying home, the new normal has involved a lot more sitting around and a lot less exercise than previous years. At least, that’s what happened to me!
This post is a chance to review how I spent my first lockdown and lessons for future pandemics. These lessons are also applicable to any major life changes, like moving to a new city or starting to work from home generally.
Four routines I found incredibly valuable in 2020 include activities, socialising, exercise and mindfulness.
Challenging Activities
I entered the pandemic focusing on the silver lining. I thought it was such a great opportunity to read all those books I’d never had time to get through. All that time I spent commuting and socialising would now go into more intellectual pursuits.
It didn’t take long to get through most of the books on my shelf. I ended up spending a big part of my disposable income in the spring of 2020 on books from Amazon.
I also learned about Stoicism and took an online course. Eventually, my housemate helped get me into meditation.
I felt so proud of myself for prioritising learning at that point. I didn’t have any social engagements to worry about so I could easily plan to spend the week finishing a book instead.
Of course, I watched the occasional film and TV show with my housemates but nothing new on that front. We even binged Schitt’s Creek on Netflix (which I highly recommend btw). But this isn’t the type of activity you want to spend all your free time on.
The pandemic ultimately led to me starting this website, and I’m on my way to starting a separate podcast. Every cloud has its silver lining.
The Key Activity Takeaway
My main takeaway here is that it’s important to feel like you’re “doing something” and not just “consuming”. When we create things, we feel like we’re making progress. We also have something to show for how we spent our time.
Activities with clear goals and purposes are great for reducing stress in uncertain times and generally keeping our minds on what we can control. They also make great systems for achieving goals.
Reaching out to our Social Network
In 2020 (and 2021 so far), I spent less time interacting with strangers. I remember, in the first lockdown, cherishing the moments of chat with the cashier at my local shop. Though I love my housemates from that time, it was also nice to see someone new.
Something seems to be missing in life when you can’t meet the people in your life and you’re not allowed to meet new people face-to-face. Of course, we had Zoom calls, and dating apps’ popularity seemed to be at an all-time high. I even video dated a girl who lived in Paris for a few weeks. That was amazing, but also pretty weird because it wouldn’t have happened without a pandemic.
I also found that lockdown was a good opportunity to catch up with friends from all over the world. Normally, my mind would be so frazzled with the daily haze of living in a big city like London.
But with social distancing, I had the peace of mind to remember old friends I hadn’t spoken to in a long time and reconnect. It was almost nice to hear that my friends in France and Netherlands were going through the same things I was.
I ended up starting a podcast with my friend in the Netherlands after I wished him a happy birthday. We both found ourselves with the drive and time, in the socially distanced world, to start this new project.
And don’t worry – I’ll make sure to share our channel after we’ve nailed the format and put out a few more episodes!
The Key Social Takeaway
My key takeaway on this point is that it’s too easy to get caught up in the hubbub of modern life. It’s important to take time to reflect on the people in our lives and connect with them regularly.
After all, what’s the point of life if we don’t connect with people we care about?
Exercise
As I prioritised activities and socialising during the lockdown, what I didn’t realise was that my body had begun to decay from lack of exercise! Only later did I realise how important exercise truly is.
I know people always told me exercise was important, but I didn’t really care. I felt great without even trying to exercise! At that point, I didn’t realise that before lockdown and social distancing, I’d been getting a good baseline on my daily commute. Five days a week I walked from my house to the train, from the train to my work and around a big office all day – before going back home the same way each evening.
When lockdown started my typical morning routine involved waking up, wiping the sleep from my eyes and turning on my laptop. I’d start most work days without taking more than 100 steps. My average step count dropped from around 11K pre-lockdown to about 2.5K after. I didn’t prioritise exercise, because I didn’t realise how important walking truly was to my health.
Side Effects of Missing Exercise
Fast forward three months to the end of the first lockdown, after building several great habits for my mind, and I feel terrible.
Despite a few weeks of meditation that dramatically improved my sleep (I managed to wake up consistently around 6 am for the first time in my life!) I found myself becoming increasingly tired and losing focus by the early afternoon.
I didn’t recognise myself at this point. I’ve always had more energy than I knew what to do with.
After speaking to to my doctor and going in for a blood test, I still didn’t have an answer – my blood work seemed normal. I dealt with chronic fatigue for months, and only recently did I realise the impact of not exercising regularly.
Exercise Benefits Productivity & Well-Being
Since February 1st, I’ve prioritised my health by taking several walks per day and making sure I reach 10K daily steps. I now feel so much more energised throughout the day, and I can think clearly without getting distracted.
If you don’t believe me… have a look at the dates I published my most recent articles. I went most of January and early February without posting anything, but by mid-February I was back on a roll!
This very post is my 7th article in 7 days. That’s a personal best since starting this site in August! And this newfound energy came mainly from my daily walks.
If I could tell my past self one thing, it would probably be that walking is underrated. It’s a great way to start the morning, catch up on audiobooks and, of course, get your daily steps in!
You can even catch up with friends while you do it. It’s really a no-brainer!
Mindfulness & Reflection
2020 will forever be remembered as the year I got into Stoicism and mindfulness. I was lucky to have started getting into a philosophy that prioritised focusing on what you can control when I did. I know people have faced a difficult year, especially those who’ve lost loved ones.
But I also feel like some people are in the habit of victimising themselves and wasting this opportunity for personal growth. Mindfulness has helped me reduce my anxiety, become truly happy and begin to value kindness along with a range of other benefits.
Exercise your mind
One of the key analogies for why mindfulness is so important is exercise. In the same way that people exercise their bodies by lifting weights and running track, we can exercise our minds by meditating, doing body scan exercises and practicing mindfulness.
Just like our body needs to exercise to stay in shape, our mind needs to train attention and awareness to achieve its peak performance. Instead of the weights or a treadmill, we work to focus on our breathing.
Find tranquility
The purpose of mindfulness is cognitive distancing: ensuring our mind works the way it should. When we don’t prioritise this, it’s easy to become overcome with negative feelings like anxiety, grief and anger. By distancing ourselves from negative thoughts and value judgments, we improve our overall mental well-being.
The difference between these two states is like the feeling of drowning with a weight tied to your ankle, compared to sun-bathing with a Piña colada. Mindfulness is like a holiday in your mind – everyday.
Whenever a negative thought gets out of control, take a minute to understand how your perceptions are being distorted by false impressions of reality.
Reflect regularly
It’s easy to get into a habit of: eat, work, sleep – repeat. Sometimes it really feels like life is just a “rat race”. Whenever we have feelings like this, it’s usually because our life goals and purpose have become disconnected from our daily work routine.
The Stoics had daily routines specifically to plan their day each morning and reflect each evening. This was one of their secrets for achieving mental clarity and productivity.
Regular reflection will help us check in with ourselves. We’ll see how we’re progressing with our goals and understand what we need to do to get back on track.
After all, we should never forget about our main purpose in life.
Adjusting to Life During a Pandemic
The ultimate takeaway here is that life goes on. That’s why we need to build new routines to get everything we need for our mental and physical well-being. Whenever drastic changes in our lifestyle occur, we need to ask ourselves whether we’re ticking all the boxes. Our priority should always be to develop a routine focused around health.
By prioritising mental activities, exercise, social connections and mindfulness practices, we can ensure to live a healthy and balanced life – no matter the circumstances.
Learn to manage your next pandemic or major lifestyle change with better routines and Mind & Practice today.