#OurNewNormal 

Some find the thought of practicing meditation a real challenge, it goes against our human nature to quieten the chatter in our mind. But with 10 mins a day practice of stilling your mind and accepting the thoughts as they come and just letting them go, you can build up to longer of periods of time of feeling at peace. Like anything it takes time, so don’t be hard on yourself, build up slowly and feel the benefits:

• Reduce stress

• Promotes good mental health

• Enhances self-awareness and positive thoughts

• Lengthen attention span

• Can help memory loss

• Can generate kindness

• Improves sleep

• May help fight addictions

• Helps control pain

For many, lots of time on our hands during lockdown has been given space for a massive realisation to take place. We NEED so much less than we thought. Consuming less & decluttering our homes & lifestyle can lead to a more relaxed, focused, less-stressed and more content life for each of us and our planet.

 

Why not try this to get you started (by 333 Project). The idea behind Project 333 is simple: Wear only 33 articles of clothing for the next 3 months. All clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes count towards your number. Exceptions include wedding rings, underwear, sleepwear, in-home loungewear, and workout clothing. Clothing that no longer fits or becomes in poor condition may be replaced during the time period. 

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After that time you may realise you don’t need the rest of your wardrobe after all. Think of all that extra space you would have without all the stuff! Then try it with other areas of your home & life and you start to free up your lifestyle and live with ease & contentment.

Lockdown has been a challenging time for people in many ways. Money stresses or challenging family situations. In my house, our big family has meant endless meals for many hungry mouths. On the plus side, it’s been a chance to slow things down, consider what we are eating and for mealtimes to become a real occasion. 

• Save time, plan ahead and try and do a weekly shop. Take it further if you can and think about where the food you buy is coming from, try and cut down on airmiles and buy local produce.

• Cut down on processed food and try and cook healthy meals more creatively, the more interesting they are, the more fulfilled you’ll be, so less reaching for the snacks in between.

• Try and grow what you can at home, even without much space you can grow salad leaves, tomatoes and herbs on window sills. And they are super tasty. We’ve grown our own salad leaves in lockdown and it’s been a real treat seeing them grow and our family enjoying them. 

• Try out new and traditional recipes.

• Drink more water, around 2L daily if you can, but build up to it if you are drinking less.

• Instead of processed food, try and snack on fresh fruit and veg. And cut down on sugary drinks, or cut them out if you can and stick to water where possible.

• Each week, try and eat 2 portions of fish, (try to make 1 of these oily fish - sardines, salmon, mackerel, etc).

• Cut down on your salt intake, eat plenty of fibre and don’t skip breakfast! 

• Enjoy family meal times - get everyone together (without devices), think mindfully about what you are eating, listen to each other and talk about good things or bad things about your day.

Our collection of thoughts & ideas have come after so much more time available to us than normal and has made us appreciate where this time can be effectively spent. Here are some thoughts:

• Make conscious working habits and hours. 

• Reduce professional commitments and make clear goals of what you want to achieve in your work time.

• Limit work time if you can.

• More working from home if your job allows it. Flexible working can add a great to deal of quality to our lives. 

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Try and live in the present moment, rather than planning life in great detail in blocks of time, dates, weekends. Try to carry out a normal everyday activity mindfully;   

• Why not try drinking your cup of tea in the morning, even considering which cup to use and be present with every sip. Take it slowly and enjoy the experience.  

• Or during your daily exercise - listen to the wildlife and sounds around you, really look at the detail, trees or buildings, look for small things you've not noticed before.

For some getting up and straight into exercise works great. With so many choices there is something to suit everyone. Either some yoga, a walk or run, or perhaps a high intensity fitness programme. We’ve all enjoyed our daily walks during lockdown, so let them continue. Let’s make our regular exercise just part of what we do. There are sooo many benefits to the whole family:

• Controls our weight

• Combats health conditions & diseases

• Improves our mood and mental health

• Boosts our energy

• Promotes better sleep

• Helps feel positive about our body & gives self esteem

• Can be fun and social

• And even helps you live longer!

Life since Covid-19 has been pretty different and things that were once important, now perhaps isn’t so much. What things do you want to carry on and what NEEDS to carry on? Here are some of our thoughts:

• Buy local - continue to purchase at least some necessities from the smaller, privately owned shops, rather than from the supermarket. 

• Continue wearing face mask in crowded areas and regular 2 minute hand washing. 

• Reduce extensive commute

• Where appropriate try and rather than hugs and kisses at gatherings.

• Be more involved at home.

• Enjoy working on an extra project every day.

• Schedule so that driving and errands can be on specific days and not everyday.

• Be in the moment - Not feel rushed -be more conscious of the commitments we undertake.

Other ideas we’ve had of what we’d like to continue in #OurNewNormal are: 

• Reading

• Making time for enough sleep

• Taking time to be grateful & read daily devotions