However new literature has informed us that – like other ‘days’ in our calendar eg. Black Friday – Blue Monday was a marketing campaign contrived by a travel company in order to sell more holidays.
We’ve come up with a few – socially distanced – ideas to help aid you during this week or anytime you feel a little blue.
Simple yet effective; moving the body gets your mind and body working at their best. Whether it’s on the beach, in your local park or just around the block; movement can increase your levels of serotonin in order to feel a boost to your mood. Get your trainers on, blow those cobwebs away and breathe.
Yoga, running, swimming (when the pools open), cycling can all stretch those muscles and your mind for some well-earned headspace.
Eating leafy greens, brightly coloured veg and dark chocolate can release endorphins; so get munching.
Looking forward, making plans, completing tasks, writing lists and striking them off can all give you a dopamine hit. Roxie Nafousi’s goal setting workshop in partnership with ALA Insurance could be a good place to start.
Getting your life admin in order can give you some peace of mind and can free your mind to think about something else. Setting time aside every day until your tasks are complete means you can sort them without feeling overwhelmed. Laundry, meal prep, paying a bill or even sorting out home insurance or GAP insurance for your car – completing one of these things per day will again give you that hit of dopamine and you will feel unstoppable!
Our partnership with Roxie has also given us a taster for some meditation and relaxation. Meditation and breath work calms your central nervous system making you more clear headed and able to tackle stress. You can watch Roxie’s meditation work shop here.
We all know the feeling when a friend, family member, work colleague – or even a stranger – brightens your day with an unexpected message or token. Send your friend some flowers, give your dad a call, leave a bottle of wine on your neighbour’s door step or even a wave to a stranger across the street; any of these things (you don’t need to spend a penny) can give you and the other person a feeling of warmth and belonging at this strange time we are all going through.
And of course, if you need to talk to someone about how you are feeling we can recommend these resources to support you, whenever you need it.
Calm Zone https://www.thecalmzone.net/
Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/
Shout https://giveusashout.org/
Mind https://www.mind.org.uk
Black Minds Matter https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/
Age UK https://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/befriending-services/
