5 THINGS WE’RE LEARNING FROM STAYING IN

It’s been said a thousand times: these are unprecedented circumstances. Although it’s not easy, we can focus our energy on the positives of having to stay put for example all the extra time to try out activities you never could before, but it can also serve as a time to experiment with your daily habits to change your lifestyle for the better. . Here are some things you can learn from staying in, that you could try working on one step at a time.

HOW MUCH TRASH YOU GENERATE 

If you work away from home, it’s easy to not realise how much waste little ol’ you generates when you quickly slip stuff into bins that you don’t have to empty. If you’re now working from home (and eating, living, chilling and sleeping at home — basically not leaving your home), then suddenly the dirty mugs, spoons and plates start piling up next to the kitchen sink, the cardboard box and plastic envelope deliveries need sorting into recycling, etc. Oh, and my local council hasn’t collected said recycling since lockdown went into full effect, so every discarded packet, bottle, can, box and jar in my neighbourhood is mounting up fast on the kerbs, in the backyards and the communal bins. On the plus side, if you’re cooking and eating from home then you should be generating less waste without single-use cutlery and napkins and non-recyclable packaging (those sandwich packets may look recyclable, but the plastic window in them isn’t (make sure you separate!!).

If I was concerned on an environmental level beforehand about what I purchased, then I’m even more concerned now that the results of my actions are staring me in the face. Whilst beggars can’t be choosers and we can’t shop in such a selective way and get hold of specific brands, we can still make conscious decisions. My last couple of little fresh fruit and veg top-ups have come from a family who’ve set up a stall a couple of days a week by the train station and I was able to fill a tote bag with package-free veggies. I’ve also been getting food from a delivery company and the only plastic that comes with that was compostable. I’ve been using up the whole of my veggies in lentil and rice-based meals that I’ve cooked up from scratch — cheap, easy, takes up less room in your cupboards and, though these dry goods come in plastic (which can be recycled at some point), you get way more weight and volume of food per packaging than with pre-packed and ready-cooked microwave rice and tinned beans.

Chances are, if you pay your energy and water bills according to how much you use rather than a set tariff, you’ll also notice how many resources it takes to keep you alive (and how many maybe just aren’t that necessary). This lockdown is a great opportunity for increased reflection on the environment — it’s like the planet has sent us all to our rooms to reflect on how we have been treating it. Check on your energy provider and make that switch you’ve been meaning to for ages to a green or cheaper provider. Make small changes like turning taps off while brushing your teeth, monitoring the electricity you use at home now you’re not in an office, making sure to turn off the lights whenever you leave a room, and shutting the tap (with your elbow if you have to) while washing your hands between rinses. Here are five more ideas to make your life more eco-healthy, and five easy household swaps.

HOW LITTLE YOU USED TO COOK YOUR MEALS

As much as I used to take food with me into town when I had meetings and events, I also often didn't. Depending on where I was off to — e.g. going to Hemsley + Hemsley Café in Selfridges — I might have relied on eating out and/or buying on the go. It’s surprising how few home-cooked meals we ate without realising. And maybe you managed to avoid cooking at all, you busy bee! Well, if you haven’t already, then it’s time to put a life skill into action. Not only is the act of cooking meditative and creative, but you’ll also feel so much better for nourishing yourself well. To get you started, some of my easiest recipes to recreate are Kitchari, Green Eggs and Olives, and Caroby Nut and Seed Bars.

Now that you’re pretty much managing your food, and aware that food isn't on tap — unless you’re ordering on Deliveroo — you might also notice that you refuse to waste anything. You know what's in your fridge/freezer and you make family announcements as to what's to come over the next few days — usually based on what needs using up first. You’re also being more experimental with what you have and what you can get hold of. I ended up with almost all the makings of Borscht (a cold creamy beetroot soup popular in Eastern Europe) in my fridge the other day and it was great! I made it from beets with their leaves on, radishes and dill (from the freezer). I didn’t have any yoghurt but I had some coconut yoghurt (my Polish friend will laugh when she read this) and I didn’t have cucumber, so I chopped in some gem lettuce instead. It was creative and it felt good to interact with my meal in a more meaningful way than just ordering straight from a menu or popping out to get the exact ingredients for a recipe — and besides, this kind of situation is what leads me to come up with new recipes!

HOW TIRED YOU REALLY ARE

In normal times, most of us run on adrenaline and a constant stream of coffee, including those oh so tempting artisanal frothy takeaways, which have become a routine part of the big wide world, without much opportunity to pause and check in with our mind-bodies.  

Then, a bit like going on a relaxing holiday, the minute you slow down you find yourself lethargic and with a headache or cold symptoms to match as your body takes the opportunity to do some repair and recuperation. During this lockdown, many of us are slowing down for the first time in months. Even if we thought we were doing OK energy-wise before, most of us had been running on empty for way too long without realising. Now that we don’t have to run around like a headless chicken to get places, the exhaustion is catching up with us, making us tired earlier and making it harder to get out of bed in the morning. Although you shouldn’t sleep too much during the day as this will make you feel drowsy and affect your evening slumber, do listen to your body and give it the rest it needs. Schedule in a cat nap or guided meditation (set a pleasant alarm if, once you go down during the day, you tend to sleep for hours). You have a lot to catch up on. For more on how to sleep better, check out this article.

HOW MUCH YOU ACTIVELY AVOID BOREDOM

Vata is the Dosha du jour of modern times that so easily gets out of whack and even more so with all this stimuli and technology, so it’s little wonder that many of us feel wired, anxious and restless in our day-to-day — before and during lockdown. If you’re a Vata type like me, that feeling will be exacerbated. Not being able to handle it in some of the ways you usually do — hanging with groups of friends, getting to a yoga class, walking through town, etc. or throwing yourself into your work environment might have you desperately trying to fill your time with new hobbies, household duties, exercise, group video hangouts, taking on extra work… essentially all things “doing” — i.e more stimuli. When we’re anxious or worried, often we “keep busy” to try and block out emotions and negative thoughts, and the idea of allowing ourselves to reach boredom when there is so much to consume across TV and the internet seems unthinkable. 

Although many of these activities can be very beneficial, now is also a wonderful time to slow down, reflect, check in with how you’re feeling: be more Yin, focus on the “being.” We have the opportunity (once the little kids are in bed!) to take time out to tune in. It’s a time to be mindful, meditate, or enjoy a sound bath. Don’t be scared of boredom — reaching this state of being, which we probably haven’t since we were kids, is actually super beneficial to A) get some much needed rest (seriously, how many of us are actually getting the rest and sleep we need?!) and B) it's the baseline of creativity — a meditation-like state for our brain to come up with new ideas unobstructed by all the usual stressors and stimuli. We spend so much time staring at screens that we’ve actually forgotten the essential skill of being or what many would call boredom and learning to sit with ourselves. Boredom is in itself a kind of meditation: when the mind isn’t occupied with a thousand things is when we have our best ideas. So embrace the slowness and your clear social schedule. You’ll feel so much better.

WHAT’S ACTUALLY IMPORTANT

Once we've had a chance to slow down, adjust, go through the full range of our emotions, the overwhelm of navigating large changes in our day-to-day life, we can begin to reflect. This unexpected situation can allow us the space to think deeply about the things that truly matter to us. I’ve heard from a few people who’ve decided to go freelance so they can spend more time in the future at home with their kids, rather than having the stress of running around trying to be an employee and a parent. Many of us who are privileged enough to be safe and able to work from home and not worrying about basic necessities have had time to consider the power of kindness, towards our loved ones but also importantly towards all the workers who are helping to keep us safe. Use this time to spread love and gratitude — perhaps you could get the whole family together to sew masks for doctors and nurses, or if you can afford to, donate to one of the relief funds out there. Children around the country are drawing rainbows to spread some cheer, I’ve seen them taped up in windows and strung from string around my local park, my WhatsApp group chains with friends and family are full of them, including my godson’s “Rainbow of Hope” tacked in the window of a local shop. It’s a project that families and communities can work on together — something as small as this can make a big difference to everyone’s wellbeing. If you want to try out a practical technique to work out what’s important to you, then consider spending some time redesigning your life — check out mind mapping in my #WellnessWednesdayWorkshop with Susie Pearl.