Our Top 5 tips for surviving LOCKDOWN!!
Being in lockdown is no fun but is could be a golden opportunity for you to make some real progress in your career! Here are 5 tips for surviving lockdown from Sue Searle, our Principal Ecologist!
Make a PLAN
It is difficult to motivate yourself when your life has been put on hold so make a plan! It is a great way of giving your purpose and a reason to get up in the morning!
I find it useful to do a monthly plan of all the things I would like to achieve in the next month – health goals, career goals, reading/research goals, relationship goals, new skills, financial goals and even fun goals – maybe you can think of some more things!
The plan can just be a bulleted list or a spider diagram. Put it up on the wall and look at it EVERY DAY! It will help you to FOCUS and give you a PURPOSE to get up in the morning. And as you tick off all that you have achieved you will get a great sense of satisfaction.
Now is also a great time to make a plan of your goals for 2021! You can keep adding to it as the year unfolds. Remember to cover all aspects of your life not just work.
I also have a weekly and daily plan to get things done – all the while I am referring to my monthly and annual plan.
Keep POSITIVE
It can be difficult to keep positive when life is not on track. I particularly struggle with a lack of freedom. A good way to stay positive is to focus on what you HAVE and what you are GRATEFUL FOR rather than what you don’t have. This is a great way to brighten your day when you wake up and when you go to bed.
Be super kind to yourself at this time, try to be your own best friend. Avoid criticising yourself or expecting too much. Celebrate your SUCCESSES – even the small ones! Especially to do with your plans and goals.
Get some EXERCISE
Exercise is the best way to keep your body and mind in good condition. Lots of lovely positive-feeling hormones are triggered with exercise so you can feel good all day! If you can take a walk or run outside in the fresh air and sun (if there is any!) then that is the best – being amongst nature wherever possible is very good for the soul!
There are lots of workouts on YouTube – aerobics, yoga, weights, circuits – instead of going to the gym do these at home! They are free and you can do them whenever you want to! Why not do a variety of exercises throughout the day to break the day up. I use an App called Accupedo that logs my steps for the day and I have a target to reach each day. If I haven’t reached it after a walk I do some walking or jogging on the spot whilst watching something interesting on YouTube.
Keeping your body moving also keeps your mind moving in a positive way!
LEARN and GROW
To keep you on track with your goals and plans for your career and life there is plenty you can do in lockdown.
Of course we have a range of 22 online ecology and conservation courses, with more on the way, which are designed to give you a quality learning experience and get your career on track.
Go to: https://ecologytraining.co.uk/book-a-course/online/ to find out what is available!
Have you, like me, got a pile of un-read books you keep meaning to read? You could plan do read a book in a week or two. Read something inspiring and educational to keep your mind active and engaged. Why not join Audible and get your books as audiobooks so you can ‘read’ whilst doing something else like exercise or walking. Here are some of my reading suggestions:
Nature related:
- The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
- The Secret Network of Nature – Peter Wohllenben
- Rewilding – Isabella Tree
- History of the Countryside – Oliver Rackham
- Bringing Back the Beaver – Derek Gow
- Whittet books – Badger, Dormouse, Bats, Otters, Hedgehogs
Motivational:
- Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
- Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R Covey
- Men are from Mars, women are from Venus – John Gray
(all of these are LIFE-CHANGING!!)
Motivational people on YouTube:
- Mel Robbins
- Anthony Robbins
- Marissa Peer
- Plus the authors above…
Go and EXPLORE!!
Keep IN TOUCH
One of the worst things about being in lockdown is isolation – even if you live with someone it is easy to lose touch with your other friends and family. As part of your plan make sure you make time to keep in touch with people. Make a phone call, use FaceTime/ WhatsApp/ Skype/ Google Meetup/ Zoom or whatever you like to use. It is great to talk! Especially if you can see the person. Show them your care! Show them what you have been doing! They would value this time as much as you do! You can put it in your plan and schedule it!
I hope that helps you in some way.
Why not join me for a Motivational Webinar! FREE
If you are interested in getting motivated, particularly towards your future ecology or conservation career I am doing a Zoom webinar next Tuesday 12th January at 4pm for anyone who would like to get some career inspiration and motivation:
Topic: Career MotivationTime: Jan 12, 2021 4:00 pm
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84020902738?pwd=czFBNXJha24rSnl2Qk9WcDZmR0taQT09
Meeting ID: 840 2090 2738 Passcode: 965719
Put the date in the diary and I will see you there!