How are you going today? I know from email conversations with readers that many of you who are in extended lockdowns are finding things tough. Lockdown life is definitely hard and I think it is substantially harder if you are the primary carer. Not only are you managing your own emotions but also the emotions of the kids too which takes a great deal of mental energy.
Each Sunday and Friday, I write my newsletters for paid subscribers, sharing tips on managing day-to-day life, provide some inspiration to help out in these challenging times and help keep them accountable to the tasks they want to achieve for the week.
It is a wonderfully supportive group and personally, I get so much out of the group too. My productivity and my motivation have increased significantly since starting the group. This doesn't mean that I don’t have tough days or weeks though. The below section is an excerpt from the email I sent out on Fri Aug 20 which I thought might help some of the readers who have contacted me recently.
Wrestling with your emotions
This week I found myself having to very much walk the talk. I have mentioned many times on the blog, newsletter and podcast how we cannot let our emotions dictate what we do or don’t do. Not doing something just because we don’t feel like it won’t help us meet our goals.
But the feelings are there. The feelings are real and in lockdown, the feelings can be very big. I have wrestled with my emotions this week. I have not felt like doing a lot of things, things I normally don’t really even think about, I just do. But I have done them. On Thursday I had a hilly workout to do and I really was not feeling it at all. I got ready just the same but wrestled with the emotions the whole time. In the end, I told myself I just needed to start the steady effort and if it felt terrible I could stop and just easy jog the remainder of the time. I headed out the door and this workout ended up being the best workout I have had in weeks! I was so glad I wrestled with my emotions and pushed myself out the door.
I also sent a couple of emails that I really had not felt like sending. I didn’t feel like sending them because I knew I was going to be sending answers that wouldn’t be what the recipients wanted. My answers were fair and kind but I knew they were most likely going to be disappointing to the receiver. It didn’t make me happy to send them but I did feel relieved to have sent them.
It is okay to wrestle with your emotions. Acknowledging that the emotions are there is so important so you can then take action. The reality of being an adult is that we have to do lots of things we don’t feel like doing!
If you would like to receive my twice-weekly updates on top of this newsletter:
30 lockdown lunch ideas for kids
Inspired by a lovely member of the group who noted lunches in lockdown with the kids were becoming a bit of a struggle, I have put together 30 lockdown lunch ideas for kids.
The list has two categories. The first has an emphasis on quick and easy lockdown lunch ideas for kids. The second category uses leftovers from evening meals where you make double batches of meals or make something extra on the weekend. These lockdown lunch ideas do require some pre-planning and work on the weekend but it does really save you loads of time during the weekdays. If you have any lockdown lunch ideas for kids that work for your family, please feel free to share.
And finally, a reminder I have set up discount codes so you can receive 10% off Adapt Drinks Relax while you are in lockdown:
NSW - nsw10
VIC - vic10
ACT - act10
I hope the rest of your week is a good one.
Take care,
Nic
PS. The Relax and Care giveaway ends September 17, 2021 11:45 pm AEST, so get in quick if you haven’t already entered!
Hi Nicole, I can't tell you how much I appreciate getting your emails. One of the toughest things in lockdown is talking to people who are not in lockdown (the rest of my family and many friends) who just don't get it, even though they try. And the mental energy talking to people in lockdown is far greater!
So far this week I have made a conscious effort to do two things in the morning - drink a special treat tea (T2 Hot Jam Brownie, it's heavenly https://www.t2tea.com/en/au/tea/tea-edits/sweet-tea-chocolate-tea/hot-jam-brownie--loose-leaf-feature-cube-T126AE004.html) instead of coffee and not go onto the abc blog first thing to check numbers. I know even though I am hungry for info it is now seriously negatively impacting my day and there is nothing new to tell at the moment. I'm going to try and aim towards these as new habits every day. Simple, but I don't have the energy for much else right now.
I have to tell you my Adapt Relax has been one of the best buys of lockdown. I literally feel better as soon as I take a sip. I know I'm doing something nice for myself and avoiding drinking alcohol - winning.
Right now my goal is to just get myself and the kids through to Friday and school holidays and then try and work out some creative ways to get them out of the house and off screens for the next two weeks.
Thank you for being proactive in supporting your community even when your energy is waning as well. If you'd like a new review for Adapt Relax let me know where to do it!